Sports: 3 Categories for Special Games in 2012 WVRAA
For the first time, special games will be given attention when the 2012 Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association is slated to open and will be hosted by the province of Negros Occidental on March 12 to 16, 2012 at the Panaad Park and Sports Stadium in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City.
Three categories are going to be contested - the visually impaired, mentally challenged, and ortho/amputees.
Each region is allowed to field a mximum of fifty delegated including athletes and coaches. Nine athletes from each region will represent visually impaired, 33 in mentally challenged and eight in ortho/amputees.
Events contested in the visually impaired are 100 meter dash, standing long jump, and shot put for athletics. For the goal ball event, athletes will be selected from among those who played in athletics. In the mentally challenged, the events for athletics are 100, 200, 400, 4 X 100, standing long jump and shot put. In the Boccee/Boccia event, the athletes will be selected from those who played in the athletics. In swimming event are backstroke, freestyle and breaststroke all in 50 meters.
In the Ortho/amputees, shot put will be played in athletics and backstroke, freestyle and breaststroke-all in 50 meters will be contested in swimming.
All the categories will be for boys and girls.
According to technical officials, only Cadiz City has been particpating and winning medals in the special games for the past years. This time they are incouraging other regions to participate in the event. The winners will also represent Western Visayas in the Special Games in the Palarong Pam-bansa in Lingayen, Pangasinan on May 2012.
Meanwhile, Romeo Sison, Department of Education (DepEd) Provincial Sports head claimed recently that all preparations have been in place in the upcoming WVRAA meet here.
Venues and billeting centers for different delegations were already put in its proper assigned personel.
Event venues were already inspected and also the billeting centers. Archery, baseball, girls’ basketball secondary football, softball, secondary tennis and elementary volleyball will be played at Paglum Sports Complex.
The alternative venues for boys’ basketball is in NOMPAC, football at Bacolod City National High School, elementary tennis at Panaad Park and Sports Stadium, and secondary volleyball at Unversity of St. La Salle-Integrated School Covered Court.
Arnis, athletics boxing, secondary football, sepak takraw, sipa, swimming, table tennis, elementary tennis will be played at Panaad Park and Sports Stadium.
St. Benilde School is also an alternative venue for seak takraw and sipa.
Chess will be played at Panaad VIP Lounge at 4th floor, secondary table tennis at Lopue’s San Sebastian, taekwondo at Negros Occidental High School Covered Gym and cultural at USLS Coliseum.
Three famous festival events in Negros Occidental will showcase their numbers during “showtime” of the opening ceremony. The three are San Carlos City “Pintaflores”, Kabankalan “Sinulog” and La Castellana “Bailes de Luces.
Arriving of delegations and occular inspection of athletes and coaches will start March 7 until the afternoon of March 11, 2012.
The billeting centers are Aklan at Rizal Elementary School, Antique at Mansilingan Agro-Industiral High School, Capiz at ETCS 1,2 & 3, Guimaras at A.L. Jaime Elementary School, Iloilo at Andres Bonifacio Elementary School 1 & 2, Negros at NOHS and technical officials at BCNHS.
About 2,000 athletes from the six provinces hoping are expected to arrive with the winners will compose the Western Visayas delegation to the forthcoming 2012 Palarong Pambansa in Pangasinan.*
