The family of the late sports leader So Kim Cheng has given the “go” signal for the Davao City Sports Council to organize this year’s SKC Sports Awards on July 22.
Dexter So, grandson of the late sports philanthropist and esteemed leader of the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines and Council, met with Council president Beethoven Sur last Thursday night and jointly agreed to start the ball rolling in preparing for the biggest sports event that will honor the region’s outstanding athletes, officials and supporters.
Committees have been formed to review and discuss the criteria in a meeting last Friday at Apung Kula Restaurant that will be followed up by a general membership meeting on Tuesday, June 28.
“We hope that those inactive members will join us and work with us again for the better good of sports in general and for the greater glory of Davao City in particular,” said Sur.
Sports association heads will be submitting their nominations this week for deliberation in order for the Council to finalize the list as soon as possible.
Plaques are to be prepared once the list is finalized and will be awarded to the nominees next month in time for the birthday of the late Mr. So.
So was the first president of the Council, then known as Philippine Olympic Committee Bureau 11, in 1986 and remained its leader until his untimely death in 1993.
He was the only national head of a sports association to be based in Davao City but this has not hindered him to organize international competitions in Manila where the best table tennis players took part, a hard work he had done that triggered the popularity of table tennis in the country, epecially in the Davao region.
The top honcho of the Modern Times Trading conducted monthly meetings with members and was known to financially support poor athletes needing fare money and providing other requirements for them to compete in national tournaments.
Mr. So, also a tai chi practitioner, was an advocate of sports development even before becoming TATAP president by pointing out that sports activities can strengthen the youth and create better communities. [Moses P. Billacura]
