This year’s MassKaralympics will feature ten sporting events that will bring national and international players to face off with local sports groups, a press release from City Hall said.
It kicked off Thursday with the 4-day 1st MassKara Beach Volleyball Tournament at the Bacolod Baywalk and is expected to bring in over a thousand enthusiasts and spectators.
Nine other sports events are in their second year, including the much awaited 2nd Mayor Albee Benitez 10-ball Billiards Tournament that opened Sunday at the Main Atrium of SM City Bacolod.
The event will be graced by renowned billiards champs Efren “Bata” Reyes and Django Bustamante who will face-off in an exhibition game during the 5-day tournament.
Reyes’ stint in last year’s tournament was cut short by 15-year old AJ Manas on the fourth day of the competition. This year, Reyes will not be competing but will play exhibition games with fans, including a face-off with Mayor Benitez on the last day of the competition.
Last year, national billiards figure and former Guinness world champion, Jundel Mazon, romped off with the championship crown and the P350,000 cash prize, after besting more than 120 players who came from all over the country, along with competitors from Japan and Indonesia.
Also expected to bring in international players are the badminton cup, table tennis and the football matches, with teams coming from China and Malaysia competing with local players.
Other sports events are tchoukball, bike ride, golf, bmx and skateboard, and marathon.
The 2nd Mayor Albee Benitez Badminton Cup opened Saturday at the Pohang Badminton Center while the table tennis cup saw action at the Activity Center of Ayala Mall that same day.
Also opening their competition on the first week of the MassKara festivities are the 2nd Mayor Albee Benitez Volleyball Cup Monday at the STI-WNU gym, which will run for five days, and the two-day 2nd MassKara Tchoukball Tournament that will open on Thursday at the Activity Center of the Bacolod City College.*
