AN EXHIBITION game between Manila All Stars and Team Zamboanga will spice up the opening of the Mayor Olaso Cup 2026 at 10 a.m. Sunday, January 11, at the Mayor Vitaliano Agan Coliseum in Tetuan village, Zamboanga City.
The Manila All Stars team is composed of basketball athletes from different leagues such as the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Team Zamboanga is led by Mayor Khymer Olaso together with homegrown talents, including former PBA players and 2025 Southeast Asian Games boxing gold medalist Eumir Marcial, who is also a basketball enthusiast.
The exhibition game will also feature women basketball athletes from Manila and Zamboanga City.
The Olaso Cup 2026 is sponsored by the Zamboanga City government, B-Steel Sports Promotions, and the Junior Chamber International.
Osbert Malinao, B-Steel vice president for operations, said teams from 80 of Zamboanga City’s 98 villages will see action in the Olaso Cup 2026.
Of the 80 participating villages, 35 are from the first district and the remaining 45 from the second district.
“The aim of the tournament is to discover new talents from the grassroots, promote camaraderie, and encourage the youth to shy away from vices,” Malinao said.
Attractive cash prizes are at stake for the champion and first to third runners-up. Non-winning teams will receive consolation cash prizes.
Special cash prizes, such as for the Most Valuable Player, are also at stake. (SunStar Zamboanga)