Iloilo City ready for non-contact sports in 2022 Dinagyang sporting events

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Iloilo City Government will be treating Ilonggos with a lineup of non-contact sports this coming 2022 Dinagyang.

Originally, the Iloilo City Sports and Development Division through their head Executive Assistant for Sports and Youth Mr. Rudiver Jungco Sr. confirmed a total of 12 events from January 16-31, 2022 but the threat of the COVID-19 Omicron variant urged them to postpone the contact sports events.

The Dinagyang Basketball Cup, Dinagyang Football tournament, Dinagyang Invitational Volleyball tournament, Dinagyang Boxing tournament, Taekwondo, and the Dinagyang Criterium Race were postponed.

Meanwhile, the Mayor Jerry P. Treñas Dinagyang Auto Motor Show IX, 2^nd Mayor Jerry P. Treñas Dinagyang Lawn Tennis tournament, table tennis, Weightlifting tournament, the Mayor Jerry P. Treñas Dinagyang Badminton tournament, and the Virtual 10^th Dinagyang Pencak Silat Inter-School Championship and Open Silat Festival contest will take place from January 21-31, 2022.

Following Metro Manila’s designation to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 and Iloilo City’s first recorded case of the Omicron variant, the Sports Division is also proactively working for everyone’s safety, the reason why they had to postpone the schedule of the contact sports.

“Para na lang gid ni sa safety of everyone, and example sa mga invitational ta nga mga event sa Dinagyang, they will still undergo the quarantine and the health protocols, especially subong may bag-o nga EO si mayor regarding that. Mga February hopefully, ma padayun kita. Importante gyapon is ang safety sang tanan,” said Mr. Jungco Sr. in an exclusive interview with the Daily Guardian.