Lanao Norte set to host 2011 NMRAA

Tubod, Lanao del Norte – After the devastating flood that hit the towns of Kapatagan, Lala, Baroy and Tubod in this province in the early days of this year, the provincial government is speeding up the rehabilitation of the affected communities in time for the hosting of the 2011 Palarong Pampook, otherwise known as Northern Mindanao Regional Athletic Association (NMRAA) Meet.

“Despite the calamity that struck the coastal municipalities, everything is now set for the hosting of the much-anticipated 2011 NMRAA”, Provincial Information Officer Lyndon Calica declared.

The NMRAA is the last qualifying meet before athletes can participate in the Palarong Pambansa.

This year’s NMRAA has been rescheduled by DepEd’s Bureau of Physical Education for School Sports (BPESS) from its previous January playdates to February 2 to 6, 2011.
Top student athletes from elementary and secondary schools in Northern Mindanao will compete in 17 sports disciplines, namely; archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and tennis.

Competitions will be held in the sprawling Mindanao Civic Center (MCC) sports complex in the capital town of Tubod. MCC has been the primary venue of many national and international sporting events from the first-ever International Motocross Invitationals, Palarong Pambansa, to the exciting PBA games.
“We are very excited in hosting the NMRAA. We look forward to seeing the best NMRAA in recent years”, Governor Khalid Dimaporo expressed.

Also located within the 64-hectare sports complex are the colossal grandstand, rubberized oval track, world-class motocross dirt track, gymnasium, cafeteria, media center, olympic-size swimming pools, tennis courts and a myriad of sports facilities.
Recently, the fast-rising province of Lanao del Norte has been acclaimed by motorsports organizers and riders as the motocross capital of the Philippines after successfully hosting the Lanao del Norte International Motocross Invitationals last December. VNL/PIO-LDN