Tougher battle looms in Cebu City Olympics

CEBU, Philippines - A tougher and more exciting battle looms in the 22nd Cebu City Olympics as the best of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) will go up against the top athletes from the rest of private and public schools in the Queen City of the South during the multi-event gathering set to kick off tomorrow at the Cebu City Sports Center.

The change of format has been made to ensure that only the 'best of the best' will get the chance to represent Cebu City in the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) Meet in the first week of December and eventually in next year's Palarong Pambansa - both to be hosted by Dumaguete City.

“It doesn’t matter whatever the format will be. We can stand alone or go as one squad for CESAFI. The most important  thing is we can come up with a formidable team for the CVIRAA,” said University of Cebu (UC) Athletic

Director Bernard Ricablanca in a press conference yesterday at the CCSC.

Prior to the staging of this annual sports conclave, the Department of Education-Cebu City division has already held cluster eliminations wherein the winner will be pitted against the CESAFI squads.

Under this new scheme, DepEd Cebu City Schools Division Superintendent Rhea Mar Angtud said the competition will now feature four teams from the North and South districts, respectively, and the CESAFI member schools involved.

However, only the top three finishers of the CESAFI events will be allowed to join the City Olympics.

For the overall standings, event organizer and CCSC general manager Ricky Ballesteros said the CESAFI will stand as one.

Among the CESAFI schools, perennial powerhouse UC remains the strongest force to reckon with even if it has no bets in football and gymnastics.

Save for football, all events will start on Friday yet. Football action gets underway today at the University of San Carlos-Technological Center in Brgy. Talamban.

The rest of the sporting disciplines to be contested are archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, dancesport, karatedo, tennis, scrabble, sipa, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, and volleyball.

Sta. Fe rules cluster 5 in GUV Cup volleyball

The municipality of Sta. Fe dominated cluster 5 of the 2012 Governor Gwen Garcia Unity Volleyball (GUV) Cup at Bantayan Sports Complex.

Santa Fe outsmarted four other squads in the premiere women’s division to come up with a perfect 12 points.

Santa Fe silenced host Bantayan in straight sets 25-15, 25-18 and then trounced Madridejos, 25-14, 25-7.      Sta.Fe also prevailed over Medellin and Bogo for a clean 4-0 sweep.

In the men's bracket, Sta. Fe survived a three-set thriller over Bantayan, 25-14, 23-25, 25-21 to take home the title.

The Sta. Fe spikers also lorded it over in the kiddies division after beating Bantayan, 25-13, 25-18 and Madridejos, 25-16, 25-18.— (FREEMAN)