Tarlac province all set to host 2010 Palaro

Preparations for Tarlac province’s hosting of the 2010 Palarong Pambansa are all in place as the youth games opens on Sunday, April 11, in the town of San Jose. The Palarong Pambansa, an annual national scholastic competition by 17 regional athletic delegations – will be held from April 11 to 17. The 15 competition venues – where 17 sports in the secondary level and 15 in the elementary class will be disputed – have all been completed. "All the requirements have been put in place, especially the game venues and what I can say is that we the people of Tarlac are ready to hold the games, which the province will be hosting for the first time in the 53-year-history of the Palaro," said Tarloc Gov. Vic Yap The newly-built Tarlac Recreational Park at barangay San Juan de Valdez in San Jose town – a sixth class municipality 11 kilometers east of the provincial capital Tarlac City – will be the main hub of competitions. Organizers decided not to schedule games from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to avoid athletes of being exposed to extreme heat brought by the El Niño phenomenon. Sufficient water supply and additional electric fans will be provided to all venues and at the athletes village for the same purpose. Except for archery and arnis – which will only be played in the high school division – sports to be disputed in both levels are athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball. Other playing venues are the Tarlac Plazuela in Tarlac City, the Victoria covered court in Victoria town, Sunrise Subdivision, Lapuz Coliseum, Bayanihan Institute, Provincial Capitol gym, Hacienda Luisita, Paniqui Court, San Sebastian Court, Diwa ng Tarlac Park, Nolcom Park, Don Bosco, San Isidro Covered Court, CLDH Covered Court, San Rafael Covered Court and the Ecumenical Christian College. – GMANews.TV