Friday, September 12, 2008 Mindanao Children's Games set By Marianne Saberon-Abalayan
SEVEN sports will be featured when the inaugural Mindanao Children's Games blasts off in Davao City from November 14 to 16.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Commissioner Akiko Thomson, who is in charge of the PSC's gender and development, bared this during the Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at the Tower Inn Thursday.
"We are still in the planning stage for the Games that will have basketball, volleyball, football, table tennis, taekwondo, chess and baseball competitions for 12 years old and below athletes," said Thomson, a three-time Olympian and champion Filipino swimmer.
Thomson said the meet, which is open for children aged below 13, is part of the Mindanao Sports for Peace Program of the PSC.
When asked why swimming was not included in the roster of MCG events, the lady commissioner replied: "I also asked about that but I was informed that there was no swimming pool here that could meet the standard size. It doesn't have to be an Olympic-sized pool since we are catering to kids but it needs to be a standard 25-meter pool at least. Maybe in the future, we can include swimming. As long as we have the proper facilities for it."
Joseph Encabo, chief-of-staff of PSC chairman William "Butch" Ramirez, said the MCG will be a good venue to promote the sports for peace program after the supposed revival of the Mindanao Friendship Games (MFG) in November was canceled due to unstable peace and order condition in Lanao del Norte at this time.
"The MCG aims to promote peace and harmony to all people of Mindanao - Christians, Muslims or Lumads. It also serves as a venue for talent identification that is among the main goals of the PSC," Encabo said.
"We will start small but we hope to accommodate more cities and provinces in future editions considering that we are eyeing for the MCG to be an annual event," he added.
Encabo said they will hold sports clinics in conflict-stricken areas in Mindanao in October prior to the staging of the MCG.
