Thursday, March 20, 2008 Cebu eyes major meet By Marian C. Baring Sun.Star Staff Reporter
AFTER learning that Cebu is being eyed as potential venue for the 2014 Asian Beach Games, Cebuano government and sports leaders are in a frenzy to bag the hosting of the major meet.
The Asian Olympic council will be announcing the country’s hosting on April 1 in Manila and among events that will be hosted are beach volleyball, beach football, marathon and swimming. The first Asian Beach Games will be in Bali, Indonesia this year and has 17 events.
Cebu City councilor Jack Jakosalem, who is also the head of the council’s committee on sports confidently said Cebu is the best venue for this event.
“We hosted the Sea Games and other major events, which gives us an edge over Boracay and Mindanao in hosting. Cebu also has the Philippines’ best beach hotels and resorts and the proximity of the beach venues to Cebu City, where other world class hotels are located, will be hard to beat,” Jakosalem said.
The proximity of the international airport is also an advantage.
“The quality of the probable venues like Shangrila, Mariago Blue Waters, Tambuli, Cebu Beach Club, Hilton and even SRP surpass those in other areas, plus the international airport is only 20 minutes away,” said Jakosalem.
Cebu is one of the venues that are being looked at along with Boracay and Davao. The biggest event, whose venue is wildly fought over for, is beach volleyball.
The Cebu Volleyball Association (Ceva) executive director Nonna Catipay said that, as always, they will be putting their best foot forward in the hopes of winning the hosting bid.
Silent war
“It has become a silent bidding war because apart from Cebu and Boracay, I learned that Bacolod and Davao also want to host it,” Catipay said.
Boracay is one of the favorites since it has been the yearly venue for the national beach volleyball competition.
Catipay, however, said that when Cebu goes head-to-head with Boracay, Cebu has a lot more edge since it had worked with the Asian beach volleyball council, and the Federacion International Volleyball (FIVB).
“Our credentials are way better when it comes to hosting international competition,” Catipay said.
Apart from having a well-organized volleyball body in Ceva, Cebu has hosted the World Men’s Qualifying competition at the University of San Carlos Gym and the Asian Girls Championship at the Mandaue Cultural and Sports Complex.
“Ceva will always do its best whatever challenge they throw at us. They want a man-made sand court, we will give them one. They want a natural beach, we are surrounded by it. All I know is that whatever FIVB wants of us, we deliver according to their standards,” Catipay said.
Man-made courts were put up for several beach volleyball competitions here in Cebu, including those held in a first-class hotel and a mall.
Meanwhile, Jakosalem said that Cebu is ready for another hosting of an international multi-event competition.
“The best thing to do is try in Cebu a national beach sports festival which includes all the sports in the Asian beach games to show them how able we are,” Jakosalem said.
