When I look back at the past 25 years, few people have accomplished more for Cebu sports than Joy Augustus Young. By surprise, I sent him a text message and email last Thursday.
“Wow, am blown away!” replied Joy, now busy with his family businesses, including recently opening a food business that, he says, has “clicked” and that he’s expanding. “Can’t believe after all these years somebody would still want to interview me about something that happened 20 years ago.. much appreciated.”
When he launched the Cebu City Olympics in 1991, I was there. When he introduced the Milo Little Olympics to a select group that included Tony Aldeguer, I sat and listened as tennis manager. His “rivalry” with then-councilor Koko Holganza, the two one-upping the other for athletic programs, was a high for Cebu sports. When the CCSC track oval was badly impaired, it was Joy Young, then as vice mayor, who headed the resurfacing of the oval that we now enjoy. Here, in our Q & A, are Joy’s own words:
“I continue to follow sports… our City Olympics, the regional meets, the Palaro, as well as the Milo Olympics, which I started, the first outside Manila. This year, Milo will be held in Iloilo. At the start, Milo planned to rotate the hosting around Visayas and Mindanao. But we did such a good job that they have never rotated it despite many requests from other places… until this year. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.
“Cebu sports? Well, as they say, we have come a long way! As head of sports in the city back in 1988 onwards, the gripe of most sports aficionados was the lack of a sports center. After some research, I found out that in most, if not all, of the places which put up a sports center, their sports activities always increased and improved. This was especially so in places which hosted the Palaro. Because of that I decided to focus on winning the bid to host the Palaro, and I wanted it soonest.
“John, you being in sports, imagine Cebu without the Sports Center? What would we be? Same as all the other places in the Phils which do not have a sports center. Our activities and performances grew by leaps and bounds after the Palaro. Period.
“You have to imagine what Cebu was like during my term. Not only did we not have the facilities but we didn’t have that much money and we also lacked the talent. We had never hosted anything sizable or of any significance. That was my inspiration but it was also the problem.
“We had to raise funds and companies were slow to follow because they had never seen anybody organize such activities. Sponsoring sports activities was not common then.
“Imagine the old Cebu without the center and the sports activities? These have broadened our horizon with regards to life. We would still be a sleepy old city. Mingaw jud kaayo ta. Take, for example, how football has developed. It used to be a sleepy sport that NOBODY watched. Now, look at football.
“My greatest achievement, apart from the sports center construction, is the commercialization and professionalizing of the promotion of sports. Think about it, without all those sponsors, were would we be today in sports? Mingaw kaayo unta – walay sponsor like Thirsty..
“The Cebu City Sports Commission started many firsts: The Tri City Marathon (which was the first in Cebu with foreign runners; up to 12 countries, I think, for the 25K). For a few years, we hosted an international cycling race joined by participants from Europe…
“It is nice to reminisce sometimes, although I don’t do much of that now. I miss our friends, the people who were there and helped us. We all enjoyed so much working together to make things work even if it was the first time and we had no idea how to go about it. We just went ahead and worked on them; that’s what made it all so much fun. Thanks to Bidoy, thanks to you John, thanks to all the people who were there..
“Sport is important because it builds character through values such as hard work, fellowship and camaraderie, teamwork and discipline. It will help the youth develop a strong and honest character.”
