By Ram Christian Agustin
With this year’s theme “Learn Life Lessons Where Champions Are Made,” 5,102 student-athletes from 997 primary and secondary schools of both public and private battle it out to claim the 31st Milo Little Olympics overall championship over the weekend.
The 2018 MLO action fired-off yesterday, August 24, until August 26 which commenced at the Marikina Sports Park in Marikina City with venues all across the city’s schools and sports facilities.
A total of 13 sporting events and two demonstration events simultaneously took place to emphasize the goal of the leading beverage brand about values the athletes can learn through sports. Meanwhile, for this leg, organizers added Football, Futsal and Sepak Takraw for the secondary girls division.
The showcased sports include athletics, badminton, basketball, football, gymnastics, lawn tennis, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, chess, sepak takraw, and scrabble. While Arnis-Anyo and karatedo will be highlighted as demonstration events.
In a press conference before the grand opening ceremony Friday, Dr. Robert Milton Calo, Regional Organizer of the MILO Little Olympics for NCR- Southern Luzon, said that amid the monsoon weather this time of the year, student-athletes and school officials are still supportive of the MLO.
He says that in the coming years, they could consider adjusting their timeline not coincide with the rainy season, especially considering that many of the delegates will come to the games right after their periodical exams which were moved after recent class cancellations.
“We are planning to adjust the date (of the event) to a month where we can avoid the typhoon, the rainy season, at least to a date with minimal rainfall,” he said as last year’s event was also met with terrible weather.
During the opening ceremonies, alongside the parade of the athletic contingents that included the MILO Officiating Officials, MILO Sports Olympic Flag and the like, the search for the new Ms. MILO Little Olympics Final Pageant likewise started.
The nationwide Inter-school junior sports event is endorsed by the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee, and the Department of Education.