CANDELARIA, Zambales, Philippines --Sa halos kalahating milyong premyo, humigit-kumulang sa 200 triathletes at 15 trisbee teams ang nagpalista para sa Zamba Multisports Festival 2011 sa Marso 18-20 sa Uacon Cove beach strip.
Sinabi ni Jun Omar Ebdane, ang Zambales provincial administrator at overall chairman ng sports festival, na dahil sa karamihan ng nagpapatala ay nilimita na nila ang bilang ng mga partisipante.
“Our festival is still young, so to speak, that is why we have to keep the numbers to a manageable limit,” sabi ni Ebdane sa cutoff. “This is really heartening, and overwhelming at the same time, that a lot of athletes showed interest in our sports fest. It means that our province is now gaining recognition as a destination for such events.”
Sinabi naman ni Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane na ang pagpapasigla nila sa kanilang sports tourism industry ay isang ‘major thrust’ ng kanyang administrasyon.
“Sports tourism is the type of industry we want to promote here, as it bodes well for our tourism development thrust, which aims to attract more long-term visitors,” wika ng governor.
Ang unang araw ng festival ay sisimulan sa pamamagitan ng isang 120-km cycling race mula sa Uacon hanggang sa capital town ng Iba.
Ang iba pang sports events sa Days Two at Three ay ang Black Sands Ultimate Frisbee, Dawal Openwater Swim, Black Sands Triathlon at Potipot Duathlon. Itatampok rin sa festival ang “Over the Top” wall-climbing competition na co-organized ng Grip Up, isang tattoo art contest, ang Zambal Bikini Open at ang Digital Capture photo contest.