A LEAN-but-mean Davao City team of 37 athletes competed in five of the 10 events entered in the just-concluded 8th BIMP-Eaga Friendship Games in Labuan, Malaysia last Dec. 6 to 10, bringing home a total of three golds, six silvers and four bronzes.
Not a bad performance for the athletes who are newbies in the biennial Games and in any international competition considering that most of the 11 other delegations from Brunei Darrusalam, Indonesia and Malaysia fielded classes B and C mainstays of their national teams.
The Dabawenyo athletes all came from colleges and universities in the city, mostly college students and a handful of High School standouts. Their schools including University of Mindanao, Holy Cross of Davao College, Jose Maria College, Talomo National High School and Ateneo de Davao University must have been proud of having students like them who donned the colors of the country to the goodwill sportsfest for 21 years old and under athletes.
A few of Manila-based Dabawenyas, who are badminton varsity scholars at the Far Eastern University and Dela Salle University Manila, also answered the call to represent the city, Mindanao and the Philippines to the Labuan joust.
The likes of men's athletics double gold medalist Sonny Wagdos and men's beach volleyball gold medal team of Calvin Sarte and Francis Caunga as well as the rest of the Davao City athletes who saw action in the eighth edition of the Games are worthy to be emulated by our youth today as they gave their best for the greater glory of God and the country.
They would never run out of words to thank the city government of Davao, especially Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, and the Sports Development Division of the City Mayor's Office (SDD-CMO) for giving them the opportunity to test their mettle, represent the country in an international meet and enrich themselves with life-changing experiences.
The city, for its part, can also thank them and take pride in them for being good ambassadors of Davao and the country.