Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia. (PNA file photo)
CEBU CITY – Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia on Tuesday assured the 12,000 delegates for the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVRAA) 2024 of their health and safety amid the intensifying heat brought by the El Niño phenomenon.
Garcia said the regional athletic meet will officially start on May 4, where 8,500 athletes will vie for 1,362 gold medals in different sporting events.
CVRAA organizers led by the Cebu City Sports Commission assured the athletes, their coaches and delegation officials that measures will be in place to prevent heat stroke or heat stress due to extreme temperatures.
“There will be no sports events between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. according to the Cebu City Sports Commission. This is a measure that assures athletes and their coaches will not be exposed to extreme heat,” Garcia said.
About 70 percent of the games will also be held indoors like in malls, sports facilities and university facilities lent for the regional athletic meet.
“We are trying to encourage outdoor sports games to be held as early as possible, as early as 6 o'clock, and if amenable, they can have them earlier so that we lessen exposure to heat,” Cebu City Sports Commission chair John Pages said.
Athletic competitions could be held from afternoon to evening, he added.
Garcia said there are 20 public schools used as billeting quarters equipped with standby medical teams, ambulances, fire trucks and water tankers to ensure the health and sanitary needs of delegates.
The city-managed Cebu City Medical Center will give athletes, coaches, trainers and delegation officials special lanes in case of CVRAA-related injuries or health problems.
The Cebu City Youth Commission is also tapping the help of nearby barangays to assist the delegates with their water sources.
Around 500 police officers from the Cebu City Police Office will also secure sports event venues and quarters.(PNA)
