Sinag Liga Asya Jr. World Showcase set in Cebu

Sports

CEBU is set to host one of the country’s biggest grassroots basketball tournaments.

Teams from abroad will go up against local teams when the Sinag Liga Asya (SLA) Junior World Showcase fires off on July 1 in various areas in Metro Cebu.

The highly-anticipated tournament, which will run until July 5, was launched on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at Treewoods Residences in Barangay Apas, Cebu City.

League executives, sponsors, and partners graced the grand launch of the third edition of SLA.

SLA chairman Rocky Chan, Rey Alao, SLA president, and EJ Fiehl, the league’s deputy commissioner, announced that this year’s tournament will be participated by over 50 teams.

Teams coming all the way from the United States, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and Europe will battle it out against Philippine teams.

The tournament will have the 13-under, 15-under, 17-under, 19-under, and 23-under categories.

Chan said the league aims to provide aspring basketball players an avenue to hone their skills by going up against some of the world’s toughest teams.

“We’re coming back to where grassroots basketball thrives,” said Chan. “We've been preparing for this since last year, and we’re happy to finally bring it here.”

Games will be held at the Cebu Coliseum, Mandaue City Sports Complex, Magnum Sports Complex, and the Cebu City Sports Institute in Barangay Sawang Calero.

Organizers are still finalizing a fifth venue.

Chan pointed out that SLA is more than just basketball as it has also partnered with the Department of Tourism, along with the local government units of Cebu City and Mandaue City, to help promote sports tourism.

“We’re not just bringing in international teams. They’re coming with delegates,” Chan said. “We’re expecting more than a thousand visitors from different countries. This is about promoting both sports and tourism.”

University of Cebu President Augusto Go, one of the league’s supporters, welcomed the bringing of the tournament to Cebu.

“Imagine international teams going to Cebu. This is something big,” Go said.(CCM)