Summer Learn-to-Play a sport reels off Tuesday

THE 17th Basic Summer Camp dubbed as Learn-to-Play a Sports program will kick off Tuesday with an expected participation of over 3,000 young children aged five to 15 in this southern port city.

Mayor Celso Lobregat and some members of the City Council are expected to grace the opening program set to start at 1 p.m. after the parade of participants at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex.

City Sports Development Officer Bernardito Patiño said on Monday that the activity has been proven to be a successful sports and youth development program, as most Zamboangueño athletes who won medals in national and international competitions are products of the city-sponsored initiative.

The program will be a month-long free training on 26 sports disciplines.

The sports events include aikido/arnis (8 years above); athletics (6 years-not more than 12); basketball (5 years above); baseball, body building (12 years and above; boxing (8 years above); chess (5 years and above); dance sport; fencing; football; gymnastics (5 years above); judo; karate-do (5 years above); lawn tennis; muay thai; pencak silat (7 years above); sepak takraw; softball; swimming (8 years above); table tennis (6 years above); taekwondo (4 years above); volleyball; weightlifting; wrestling (5 years above) and wushu (5 years above).

Most of the sports trainings will be done at the Joaquin Enriquez Sports Complex, Patiño said.

However, Patiño said that there are also sports training venues identified and designated by his office. These are: the Ayala gymnasium; Lunzuran basketball court; the Talon-talon Urban Poor basketball court where basketball trainings will be held; and in Mercedes, where basketball, volleyball and table tennis trainings will be held.

Patiño said that a total of 245 instructors have been tapped to help train the participants during the program.

Last year, over 3, 000 young students and out-of-school youths participated in the program.