BACOLOD CITY, (PNA) — Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentevella exhorted athletes set to compete in Batang Pinoy Visayas Leg to win medals for the city.
The competition for 15-under athletes is slated Sept. 24-28 in Maasin City, Southern Leyte.
During the send-off rites held at the Bacolod Government Center Thursday, Puentevella, the godfather of Batang Pinoy which started during his term as commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission, told the 40 athletes competing in seven sports to do their best in representing Bacolod.
The Bacolod delegation will leave in the morning of Sept. 23.
“I don’t expect all of you to be gold medalists, but I am hoping you can get the gold medals,” the mayor said.
Even as he told athletes, coaches and teachers to come home winners, the mayor said that if they lost, they should think of basketball legend Michael Jordan, who said that he failed seven times but he rose up again eight times.
Bacolod is sending athletes to compete in table tennis, athletics, boxing, weightlifting, 3-on-3 basketball, badminton and swimming.
Events to be contested in Batang Pinoy are archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, dance sports, futsal, gymnastics, judo karatedo, lawn tennis, pencak silat, softball, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and wushu.