After producing the first president of the Philippines from Mindanao, Davao will be hosting the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2019.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chair William Ramirez confirmed earlier this week that President Duterte approved the celebration of the biennial sports festival and competition among the youths of Southeast Asia in Davao City.
The hosting of the 2019 SEA Games, which was originally offered to Brunei Darussalam, was intended for Manila, which had done it in 1981, 1991 and 2005.
Ramirez wasted no time and decided to convince the President to have the SEA Games be held in the city where Duterte has transformed into a model city during his term as a mayor.
The PSC chief said he has talked to several people in the corporate world for support in the 2019 event.
According to Ramirez, a letter of acceptance to host has been submitted to the SEA Games Federation by a group of Filipino officials headed by Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr.
“This is the first time an international sports event of this magnitude will be held in Davao , and I’m sure the President will do everything to ensure its success,” Ramirez said.
In 2005 when the Philippines was host to the SEA Games for the third time, the country topped the overall SEA Games medal race for the first time since it first participated in 1977. Ramirez was the PSC chief in that glorious year for the Filipino young athletes.
Hosting of the SEA Games in Davao will also serve as an opportunity to revive the tested swimming program in Mindanao, mainly among seaside communities which used to be the source of tank internationationalists the country would send to the Olympics and the Asian Games.
Once the Philippines' hosting of the SEA Games will be confirmed, a national sports stadium of Olympics proportion is expected to rise in Davao, instead of Metro Manila or Clark in Pampanga as originally proposed.
Photo: Abante
Source: Inquirer
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