OVER five months since Davao City hosted the Palarong Pambansa 2019, the Davao City-University of the Philippines (UP) Sports Complex pool is still undergoing construction works.
This is the primary reason why hundreds of Dabawenyo swimmers could not use it yet for training and they will have to make use of sub-standard sized facilities in local resorts and subdivisions or go to Tagum City to train in its Olympic-sized pool.
A source from UP Mindanao said they are still working on the pump house of the water system, bleachers and roofing. This development is a welcome news to allay fears that it has not become a white elephant just like other huge-budgeted sports facilities in other parts of the country. It is still under construction.
It can be recalled that only the swimming pool itself was used during the Palaro swimfest sans the bleachers and roofing, causing impatient social media comments from some parents and participants who had to endure the scorching heat of the sun since the pool area was so bare and there was no shade from any structure or trees to shield them from the sun.
If things push through as planned, a completed Davao City-UP Sports Complex pool is vital to the city’s possible hosting of the 11th Bimp-Eaga Friendship Games 2020, Philippine National Games 2020, Batang Pinoy 2020 Mindanao Eliminations or Batang Pinoy 2020 National Championships and the Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan (MinSuPala) Games 2020.
The city’s swimmers badly need it too. Going to Tagum City every now and then for training would be too costly for them and for their parents. If Davao City really wants to be the sports mecca of Mindanao or of the country, an Olympic-sized pool could best help our tankers improve their performance.
Swimming, in most multi-sports event just like the Olympics, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games, is a mandatory sport. The medal-rich sport usually offers 50 to 60 gold medals or more in the Palarong Pambansa, Philippine National Games and Batang Pinoy. This is one sport that Dabawenyos can further excel in considering that our city swimmers have been forces to reckon with in recent years despite the lack of a standard training pool.
We hope and pray the facility could be fully operational for the city swimming team’s training preparation for the Davraa Meet 2020 in Compostela Valley.