During the first-ever Abanse Negrense Governor’s Cup Taekwondo Championship, one of the most highly-participated sports tournaments of the Negros Occidental Provincial Government this year, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson delivered a brief inspirational message and encouraged the participating taekwondo athletes to prioritize education over sports, during its opening ceremony on November 26 at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central.
As many of Lacson’s Abanse Negrense Grassroots Sports Development Programs tournaments are behing held simultaneously all-over the province, the sports-advocate provincial leader said that he was happy and pleasantly surprised by the number of Taekwondo participants, which totaled 391.
Lacson also expressed his gratitude to the ever-supportive parents for encouraging their children to be active in sports. He said that the support of the parents and the total number of participants in the tournament are giving the provincial government additional motivation to improve and make the Sports Development Programs bigger and better in the coming years.
As for the Negrense youth, the governor emphasized the importance of making education a priority. He said that most of the big schools in Metro Manila are looking for student-athletes, not athletes only. So his advice was to be students first, and athlete second. He also reminded the participants that at the end of the competition, all of them are Negrenses and friends.
Apart from Lacson, Provincial Sports Office head Anthony Carlo Agustin was also present at the tournament along with Taekwondo Tournament Manager Coach Vic Feria.
A total of 391 participants from 19 LGU teams joined the inaugural Abanse Negrense Governor’s Cup Taekwondo Championship. These were San Carlos City, Cadiz City, Sagay City, Manapla, Silay City, Talisay City, Bacolod City, Bago City, Murcia, Valladolid, San Enrique, La Carlota City, La Castellana, Isabela, Moises Padilla, Himamaylan, Kabankalan City, Ilog, and Cauayan.
The categories (Boys and Girls) included Toddlers (Born 2014 above), Grade School (2011-2013), Cadet (2008-2010), and Junior (2005-2007).
The Taekwondo patterns during the tournament were Poomsae and Kyorugi (Sparring).*
