Wednesday, March 05, 2008 Davao bets to train in Mati By Marianne Saberon-Abalayan
THE 339 athletes of the Palarong Pambansa-bound Davao Regional Athletic Association (Davraa) contingent are all set to train in the City of Mati, Davao Oriental starting March 23.
Dr. Fidel Japos of the Department of Education (DepEd) Southern Mindanao said 53 coaches would train the Davraa athletes in less than a month.
"The training schedule is set after the Holy Week just when regular classes close for the summer break. The delegates will stay in Mati for the entire duration of the training period," he said during an interview with sportswriters at the DepEd Southern Mindanao lounge recently.
Japos said they see no problem of holding training in Mati, which is about 150 kilometers away and a three-hour ride from Davao City, being the host of the Davraa Meet 2008 last month.
"The Mati government is more than willing to host us again for training. They also have the facilities that we need. We will hire buses to transport the kids there," Japos said.
"The coaches, chaperons and officials will be around to supervise their training so there's no room for worry," he added.
He said the span of training is enough to prepare the athletes for Palaro battle in Puerto Princesa, Palawan on April 20 to 26.
