GUV Cup general assembly today at CICC

CEBU, Philippines - Over a thousand volleyball athletes will converge today for the general assembly of the Governor Gwen Garcia Unity Volleyball Cup (GUV Cup) for men and women at the Summit Hall of Cebu International Convention Center.

“Compared to the previous years that we had the general assembly at the Capitol Social Hall, we believe it could no longer accommodate everyone for such a big gathering especially with the inclusion of the men’s teams. That’s the reason why we decided to hold it at CICC,” said Cebu Volleyball Association (CEVA) director for development affairs Jerry Winona Catipay.

The ID system will also be implemented during the affair as well as the distribution of official balls and nets to all the competing squads.

Catipay said attendance is a must since they will announce some rules that were amended by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and will be strictly imposed this year.

Last year, the annual GUV Cup event drew a historic field of entries as all 52 key cities and municipalities comprising Cebu province took part in the competition.

“We really hope that we still could get the same number (of participants) as last year as well as in the men’s division,” said Catipay.

Catipay even foresees that the level of competition will escalate a notch higher than the previous editions of the province-wide tilt.

“I believe that there will be a lot of competitive teams that will be seen this year. I’ve noticed that in our four years of staging this contest, the players have had improved a lot in terms of skills and teamwork,” Catipay said.

Meanwhile, CEVA is cooking up a very special opening ceremony for the 5th GUV Cup for men and women on September 19 at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex. – Marigold P. Lebumfacil (THE FREEMAN)