CANDON, Ilocos Sur — The City of Candon is determined to strengthen its position as premier sports destination in the north.
While the hosting of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Volleyball Cup has been a resounding success, Mayor Eric Singson emphasized that work doesn’t stop there and maintaining its leadership in sports tourism is a continuous process.
“It’s a long process. The journey is long and a challenging one,” Singson said ahead of the medal matches on Sunday at the Candon City Arena.
Singson noted that completion of the airport will significantly improve accessibility and boost Candon City’s appeal as a national and international sports venue.
“I hope nagawa namin yung kailangang gawin as hosts,” Singson said. “It’s a big challenge. We just do our part in developing sports in Candon and provide the necessary infrastructure.” “We’re working to complete our airport, para magkaroon pa tayo ng mas marami, even bigger events,” he added.
For the AVC Women’s Cup, the bustling resort city put up more hotel rooms and enhanced the 8,000-seat Candon City Arena to support teams and tournament operations.
The arena’s strength and conditioning gyms were also upgraded, while dedicated training venues have also been set up.
“We now have practice facilities and we’re happy we provided it for this event,” Singson said.
AVC president Ramon “Tats” Suzara lauded the city officials and townsfolk for the exceptional hosting, dubbing Candon City as an emerging “volleyball capital” of the country.
“Outside of Metro Manila, you have Candon. Soon it will be able to host premium events such as the VNL,” Suzara said. TMT
