TOP young athletes from different elementary and high-school institutions from all over the country will converge in Marikina City starting on Friday for the national finals of the 2014 Milo Little Olympics.
The 27th edition of the event will feature athletes aged 17 years old and below who topped the four regional legs held earlier this year.
National Capital Region (NCR) will be eyeing a third straight overall national crown, as it looks to dominate medal-rich gymnastics, sepak takraw and swimming, as well as volleyball anew.
Hot on NCR’s heels, however, is Visayas, a three-time national champion, the last in 2011.
Visayas Regional Organizer Ricky Ballesteros said the Visayas team is raring to come back stronger this time after multiple calamities partially derailed their chances in last year’s Cebu edition.
Seven venues in Marikina, Antipolo and Pasig City will host 13 sports in the three-day event.
Elementary basketball, swimming, table tennis and centerpiece event athletics will be played at the Marikina Sports Center, while Marist School will host secondary basketball, chess, football, scrabble, tennis and volleyball.
Concepcion Elementary School and Marikina Sports Hub will hold the sepak takraw and badminton matches, respectively. Antipolo City will take care of taekwondo at SM Masinag, while Fin-Asia will hold the tennis events. Pasig City, on the other hand, will stage the gymnastics competitions at Club Gymnastica in Rosario.
Opening ceremonies will be held at the Marikina Sports Center on Friday starting at 3 p.m.
University of San Carlos, Baguio City National High School, Baguio Central School, Corpus Christi School, St. Jude Catholic School and San Beda College-Rizal will be headlining the tournament as the top schools for their respective regions.
Should the Big City athletes retain the overall crown, they will be awarded the Milo Little Olympics Perpetual trophy, a prestigious award given to teams which win three consecutive championships. Only the Visayas region has been able to achieve the feat when it won the trophy in 2011.
“For 27 years, the Milo Little Olympics has helped us nurture some of the country’s best young athletic talents. We are excited to once again witness a final that is sure to keep everyone on the edge of their seats,” Robbie de Vera, MILO Sports Executive, said. “We invite everyone to support our student-athletes as they display their talent and winning energy at the National Finals.”
Image credits: Roy Domingo