Sporting events to spice up Sinulog

CEBU, Philippines -  Several sporting events will spice up the Sinulog Festival next month. These include a fun run, baseball, softball, football and chess.

Sinulog Foundation executive director Ricky Ballesteros said they are doing this to show to the world that Sinulog will be a “Festival of the Arts”, which will not only highlight the dances but also as its sports components.

The Sinulog 5K Fun Run set on December 30 offers P10,000 to the top finisher. The second and third will pocket P5,000 and P3,000, respectively.

Cash incentives will also be given to special awardees for the best in costume (individual and group category) and the fastest running club.

Registration fee is pegged at P200 inclusive of a singlet and breakfast for the finishers.

“The fun run is open to everybody, even Kenyans,” said Ballesteros. “What’s interesting in this run is that most of the runners will be in their Sinulog costumes and will serve as the crowd attraction.”

The Sinulog Cup Baseball and Softball Championships already started yesterday at the Labangon Elementary School field.

“We are in the process of reviving batted sports in Cebu. Most of the national players are from Cebu and as what we have observed only those of age are the only once playing the sport. So we with this tournament, we would like to encourage the younger generation to also play for better chance to excel,” said Cebu City Sports Commission executive director Ildebrando Velasquez.

On the other hand, the 2nd Sinulog Football Cup set on January 7 to 8 at the University of San Carlos-Technological Center and San Roque Parish field attracted a total of 185 squads, 40 of which are seeing action in the men's open.

On January 21-22 next year, the attempt of placing Cebu in the world map again through the sport of chess will be realized.

The Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) headed by its chairman Edward Hayco in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) has already gathered 20,000 participants in their ambitious project of breaking the Guinness record for the “World’s Largest Chess Tournament.”

Russia currently holds the world record of 1,214 participants in an event organized by Eugenie Kuznitsov on June 2, 2007 at the central city park in Krasnoyarsk. (FREEMAN)