2014: Looking Forward

Looking forward to 2014 for Cebu Sports will be a case of levelling up to become even better than 2013. The bar and benchmarks will also be raised for that need to always find ways of improving. At this point, we’re not even talking about local “stuff.” We’re looking at more international events that will cement Cebu’s position as a venue of choice for international sports events.

Boxing will take the lead through the Pinoy Pride series of ALA Promotions. Cebu will host an episode or two while other venues will be Manila and other key cities, possibly Davao and Bacolod. They’ll even take this a notch higher with a Pinoy Pride event to be held in the United States. ALA will also send more boxers to fight overseas with their new tie-ups. Now that’s truly levelling up! I just wish that the other promotions outfits like RWS, SGG and the Omega can also fill in the void for the other promising boxers who can’t get fights in any of the ALA Promotions events. Of our world champions, WBO light flyweight champ Donnie Nietes faces the toughest challenge with his mandatory defense against Moises Fuentes in a rematch of their first encounter which ended in a draw. IBF light flyweight champion Johnriel Casimero and WBO minimumweight champion Merlito Sabillo will spend the year defending their belts. Genesis “Azukal” Servania and “King” Arthur Villanueva will be next in line to move up slowly but surely in 2014 for a possible world title fight in 2015. I’m praying that Rocky Fuentes wins his title-eliminator in Puerto Rico on January 25 so he can finally go for a world title by the end of 2014. For the other world prospects like Milan Melindo and Jason Pagara, it’s “seasoning and growing” time by continuing to fight foreign foes in 2014.

In triathlon, the XTerra triathlon comes back to Liloan for another run in March. From being a town known for its light house, rosquillos and Sunday food street, it sure looks like Lilo-an can position itself as the XTerra venue for Cebu. The local town officials must find ways to not only host the XTerra but more local events to further boost this position. I’m sure Mayor Duke Frasco, an avid sportsman himself, can organize more side events for the local market, can’t he? Another edition of IronMan in Cebu is slated for August; in fact, registration is already closed and booked solid. This will hopefully be surrounded with more local triathlons reasonably scheduled throughout the year from where we can discover bright young prospects who can create an impact on the tri scene.

 FOOTBALL: After hosting an Azkals friendly game in 2012 and a full run of group play of games of the AFC President’s Cup 2013, what’s next? We can hopefully host another Azkals friendly game or host another group play of the AFC President’s Cup 2014. Unfortunately, venue is still a problem for us as we have only one stadium that meets international standards (barely at that). For the meantime, bringing teams over from the United Football League should help out fill in the gaps. The local scene will surely not be a problem. Weekends will be booked with football games practically all year-round.

Cebu will also reap more fruits internationally in taekwondo where the bar has been raised almost without being noticed. World champions Glenn Lava, Rinna Babanto and back-to-back champion Mikaela Calamba have been the toast of the Cebu pomsae scene that has gone under the radar when compared to the other events. And they’ll strike for more championships in 2014. I wonder if Cebu is in a position to host an international pomsae event? Hmm.

And what about tennis? Will we see another tie of the Davis Cup in Cebu? This is a tough one as there are times when it’s the Philippines travelling to another country for Davis Cup play. If the country isn’t hosting a Davis Cup in 2014, can Cebu finally host its own tournament featuring international players? They don’t have to come from the world’s top 100. Can we work out something like a Southeast Asian-level tournament in a “Cebu Open?” Manila hosts juniors tennis events with foreign flavor. I’m sure we can top that.

I’m afraid the basketball scene won’t be able to match all this with an international event. While local basketball will be busy as always, notably in the school-based segment, our wish is for a second semester event for collegiate teams (January to April 2014) so our college teams can maintain their sharpness. The youth-based segment is booked for a whole calendar already except for a little part of the summer. From all this we hope to produce international-level players who can play for the Philippine team. The Philippines qualified for both the FIBA World Cup and FIBA Under 17 World Championships. We’re looking forward to June Mar Fajardo’s stint with Gilas Pilipinas while he also dominates the PBA. Arnie Padilla was part of the Philippine Under 16 team that placed second to China at the FIBA Asia U16 Championships, and will hopefully be part of the national Under 17 team.

Surely, everything is looking up for Cebu Sports in 2014.

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Time-out: Here’s a toast to all for a great 2014. >>> You can reach me at [email protected].