SOUTHWESTERN University (SWU-Phinma) has upgraded the Aznar Coliseum at its Urgello St. campus in Cebu City to provide its students and athletes “the best training facilities.”

The upgraded Aznar Coliseum, which now features a maple flooring court, three high volume low-speed fans and a skybox for VIPs, was officially unveiled on Thursday, May 16.

“We know for a fact that this development will help improve our students and student-athletes. We wanted to give them a better facility; not just the classrooms but also the facility for sports activities,” said SWU-Phinma executive vice president and chief operations executive Albert Gamboa.

Present during the unveiling ceremony were the school’s athletic director Pio Solon, Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) commissioner Felix “Boy” Tiukinhoy and other school officials and coaches.

“There’s a new direction; we are starting small and we are building. We are happy with the progress we are making,” Solon said.

Aznar Coliseum also has a world-class strength and conditioning facility and a recovery room for athletes. It can accommodate 3,000 to 4,000 spectators.

“I hope there’s an improvement in our athlete’s performance with this but what we are really doing is to instill a balance on their academics and athletics,” Gamboa said.

“Definitely the motivation to train is higher for athletes. Our job is really to foster an environment that sets the stage for high-performance culture and part of which is here,” said Solon.

Solon added that step by step they have actualized that vision with the full support of the SWU-Phinma’s administration.

When asked on its first major event that will be held at the new Aznar Coliseum, Solon said they’re planning something exciting.

“We are planning something and I think the public will enjoy it. But right now, we can’t announce it yet,” he said. (RSC)