Ilagan ready for twin track tournaments

ILAGAN City, Isabela— More than 1,000 athletes are expected to show up for two major sporting events here: The 14th Southeast Asian (SEA) Youth Athletics Championships and the Philippine Open Athletics Championships that kick off on Saturday.

Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association board director Josemarie Diaz, the town’s former mayor and husband of incumbent Mayor Evelyn Diaz, said buses were sent to the airports to pick up Asian athletes who will participate in the twin events at Ilagan City Sports Complex.

“It is all systems go now and we hope that the events would be smoothly done, just like in the past years,” he said, adding that the city is hosting both events for the third time.

The events will end on March 8 and will serve as a preview of athletes who will compete in the Asian Athletics Youth Championships in Hong Kong on March 15 to 17 and the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, on April 19 to 24.