ONE of the best-attended sports events last year was not the Ironman nor any of the Pinoy Pride series but the playoff round of the Gov. Davide Under 21 Basketball Tournament.
A livestream of the event showed a jampacked venue with thousands still waiting to get a chance to get inside. Luckily, a large screen showed a livestream of the finals.
Organized by the Cebu Province Sports Commission, the basketball tournament followed the format of the volleyball tournament of the previous administration but had a twist; it followed a home and away format in the finals.
The success has prodded Gov. Hilario Davide III to pour in more of the Capitol’s money for a second edition and to include the sport that started it all, women’s volleyball.
The prizes are staggering; it’s P300,000 for the women’s volleyball champion and a cool P500,000 for the basketball champion. To be honest, had it been done by another set of CPSC officers, I would have scoffed at the basketball tournament when it launched last year. But since these guys at the CPSC have a track record of success--and of not using sports for other means--I knew that the success of the basketball tournament might mean an additional sport for this year.
And I was right.
With volleyball added this season, I hope the LGUs see the importance of joining this one-of-a-kind tournament. (They don’t do province-wide, LGU initiated events elsewhere). Who knows what could this lead to?
Another sports event or two added in 2019 until the Gov. Cup become sort of a mini-Olympics for the province where participation and success all events will have more reward rather than a gold in one event.
That has always been a dream of mine. To see one province hold a mini Olympic type of tournament for its LGUs, which, in turn will also hold their own mini-Olympic type in their own locality to determine their representatives. An event such as that calls for a year-long schedule and will put into action the various sports commissions of the LGUs, which sometimes only get busy come election time.
Can it be done? I don’t know. But if ever there is a commission bold enough to see it done, it’s the guys at Capitol.
BIRTHDAY. Happy birthday to Chariz “Mic-Mic” Ursabia, a classmate from kinder to high school. She is currently in Cebu together with her husband Mitmit and their three kids. Enjoy the Sinulog.