Formerly known as the Public Schools Interscholastic Athletic Association (PSIAA), the week-long national students meet ends tomorrow at the Marikina Sports Complex.
As a long-time sportswriter who covered this annual student sportsfest, there seems to be a great need now to reset the Palaro back to its traditional summer date which is either April or May.
Why? Because as you have seen, the rainy season starts in June and tropical storms and typhoons that bring in rain and floods often occur during this period.
The inclement weather always puts a damper on the enthusiasm and alacrity of student athletes who train for the entire calendar year hoping to win a gold or silver or bronze in their chosen field.
Sayang lang ang pagod ng mga Dep-Ed sports officials who I know work their butts out to come up with a better Palaro every year.
It can be done. If there is a will…
Marikina is a great organizer of any kind of sports festival – international and domestic – since the incumbency of the late Rizal Gov. Isidro Rodriguez when the municipality was still an LGU belonging to Rizal province.
Sayang din ang pagod ng student athletes and their teacher-coaches who do their schools honor and pride if the rains only spoil what could have been the most awaited day.
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Meantime, several elite GMs have fallen on the wayside in the on-going knockout format of the FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbajian.
Teen sensation and Olympiad gold medalist Nodirbek Abusattorov succumbed to a surprise defeat to 2585-rated GM Vahap Sanal, ,5 to 1.5pts.).
Singapore GM Tin Yinghyao upset Shakiyar Mamedyarov of the host country also with the same score.
US 2018 champion Sam Shankland also did not make it.
Super GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So are playing for tiebreaks at press time while their peers in the world’s elite section – former world champ Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniatchtchi, Fabiano Caruana and Jan Krzysztof Duda – are now safely in the third round of the eliminations.
American Leinier Dominguez, Teimour Radjabov, Yu Yang Yi, Gukesh, Iran’s number one Parham Magsoodloo, Daniil Dubov, Peter Svidler, India’s Nihal Sarin and R. Pragnanandhaa are also into the next round.
The FIDE World Cup offers three slots to the Candidates Matches April next year.
Chess is no longer the boring game some sports fans used to describe. Because of live on line video coverage, even if the matches move past the unholy hours, when the likes of Carlsen, Nakamura, So, Caruana and the teenage prodigies are playing, you can expect fireworks,
By the way, Indian GM D. Gukesh has replaced former world titleholder Vishy Anand as FIDE’s top ten. (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com). GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
