Bigger Milo Li’l Olympics unfolds in Cebu

MANILA, Philippines - Basketball has been added to the calendar of events along with a Luzon venue when the Milo Little Olympics stages its 26th edition on Saturday with the Visayas leg at Cebu City Sports Complex in Cebu City.

“Knowing the Filipinos’ love for basketball, we have added the sport to our list of 13 disciplines,” said Milo sports executive Robbie de Vera during yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

“We see the inclusion of basketball as a compliment and not in competition with our Milo BEST program since the latter caters mostly to private schools while the Little Olympics will be for players from the public school,” said Milo Sports executive Andrew Neri.

Other sports on tap are athletics, badminton, chess football, gymnastics, lawn tennis, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, sepak takraw and scrabble.

Milo consultant Pat Goc-ong said the fact “when we conceived the Milo Little Olympics, we conceived this event as a breeding ground for future athletes in international competitions.”

Goc-ong cited Southeast Asian Games taekwondo champion Japoy Lizardo and former Asian long jump queen Marestella Torres as among the products of the Milo Little Olympics.

Because of the huge turnout in last year’s edition, De Vera said they were forced to hold additional legs, including the Visayas stop this weekend and on Aug. 24 to 25.

The annual meet then goes to Cagayan de Oro for the Mindanao leg at the Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Center on Aug. 23-25, while the Luzon stop will now be held on Sep. 6 to 8 at the Baguio City Athletic Bowl.

“From Pangasinan, we decided to make Baguio City the venue of our Luzon leg because we believe more athletes from Luzon, especially from the North, will be able to take part in our event,” Neri said.

The NCR leg will be held Aug. 30-31, Sept. 1, 7 and 8 at the Marikina Sports Complex, while the Oct. 25-27 national finals will return to Cebu, said Goc-ong, adding the regional winners will be brought there for free and will be quartered at a top hotel “as part of their prizes.”

The national champions will receive cash incentives and quality Milo gear for their efforts, he said.