Cebu to Host First Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship in PH

Year 2016 already poses as another promising year in the history of sports events in Cebu as the time for hosting the fifth year of Ironman triathlon events.

To celebrate this feat, Cebu will host the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines Asia-Pacific Championship (APAC) on Aug. 7, 2016.

Bigger prizes and triathlon points await professional triathletes in this championship race, explained Sunrise Events Inc. (SEI) Executive Director Princess Galura.

She added that event coverage also reaches worldwide unlike past events where event coverage was only broadcasted in the Philippines.

“This is our opportunity to show to the world that the Philippines, Cebu specifically, is the best destination for triathlon in Asia-Pacific,” Galura expressed.

Cebu is the first host location of APAC outside Australia and New Zealand.

Ironman 70.3 organizers described this as a “first class event for a first class city.”

Last Oct. 1, SEI, the official partner of Ironman 70.3 and Philippines’ premier sports events organizer, kicked off an online registration for APAC.

Despite the 10-minute system downtime due to surge, the 2,900 slots prepared for triathletes all over the world were sold out in 28 minutes. Successful registrants represented 24 countries around the globe.

From about 300 triathletes in Cebu, more than 200 have successfully registered in the on-site online registration held in the Cebu Provincial Capitol.

“This online registration aims to highlight the Cebuanos so others can see that even non-professionals can take up to the challenge and do this race,” Galura said.

In a press release, Geoff Meyer, chief executive for Ironman Asia-Pacific, said that with Cebu’s successful hosting of triathlon events for the past years, it will definitely “provide athletes with a beautiful and challenging championship course.”

www.cebu.gov.ph