Iloilo City is bracing for several sports events this January as added attraction to the world-famous Dinagyang Festival celebrated here on January 25-26, 2014.
Sports Committee chairman Jojo Castro said the events will take off starting with a goodwill basketball game on January 17 at the University of San Agustin gymnasium between the Blue Eagles of Ateneo de Manila, 5-peat champion of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the Red Lions of San Beda College, 4-peat champion of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Dubbed as Dinagyang Classico: The Epic Battle, the basketball match will showcase the strength, skill and power of athletes from UAAP and NCAA.
On the other hand, a fun run of five kilometers with expected 500 runners and half marathon of 21 kilometers with 400 slots on January 19, 2014 will be participated in by local runners out to discover potential athletes.
The fun run and half marathon will start 4:30 in the morning starting at SM City. Cash prizes will be awarded to top runners, T-shirts, certificates and medals to all finishers.
Iloilo City will host the First Triathlon competition in Western Visayas. To be held on January 25, 2014, the triathlon will be composed of 1.5 kilometer swimming at the Anhawan Beach resort in Oton, Iloilo, 40 kilometers biking from Anhawan to the municipality of San Miguel and back, and 10-kilometer run from Anhawan to this city.
Castro said that other sports events during the Dinagyang week include air-soft gun competition, taekwondo, swimming at the Iloilo sports complex, arnis and beach volleyball.
Some of the sports competition that were not included by the Dinagyang committee but will be held on Dinagyang’s day on January 26, are golf, tennis and dart throwing.(PNA)
