Some 5,000 student-athletes from public and private schools are expected to converge in Cebu to vie for titles in the 2018 Milo Little Olympics Visayas Regional Finals on Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.
Visayas Regional Finals organizer Ricky Ballesteros told SunStar Cebu that there are about 100 schools that have confirmed participation in the school-based sporting meet that will feature 15 different sports.
“Almost 50 in the elementary division and also 50 in the secondary division (are joining). Most of the early registrants are out-of-town schools. The deadline for registration will be on Aug. 24,” he said.
The visiting athletes for this year will come from Iloilo, Bacolod, Cadiz, Negros Oriental, Ormoc, among others.
“Ormoc City is supported by Mayor Richard Gomez and they’re full force this year. Right now, there are eight schools from Ormoc that have registered, an improvement from only one or two schools from previous years,” said Ballesteros.
The events that will be competed are arnis, athletic, badminton, basketball football, gymnastics, karatedo, lawn tennis, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, chess, scrabble and sepak takraw.
Track and field, swimming, football and sepak takraw will be held at the Cebu City Sports Center; basketball and volleyball at the Sacred Heart School Ateneo-de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Canduman Campus; lawn tennis at City Green and Alta Vista; and badminton at Metro Sports Center.
Arnis, gymnastics, karatedo, table tennis, taekwondo, chess and scrabble will be played at the SM Seaside City Cebu.
Last year, the University of San Carlos-Basic Education Department (USC-Bed) won the secondary overall title, while St. John Institute of Bacolod City bagged the overall elementary crown. (RSC)