CEBU CITY — The staging of the 2018 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship in Cebu hangs in the balance after Mayor Tomas Osmeña has denied the use of the Cebu South Coastal Road for the biking race of the country’s premier triathlon event.
The mayor told the media on Friday that Ironman organizers met with him Thursday and that he denied their request to have half of the coastal road at the South Road Properties (SRP) closed during the triathlon championship to be held on August 5.
He said it was not easy for him to deny the request because he likes the Ironman, but he needs to consider the heavy traffic the event would cause on that day.
“They were asking if they can partially close the SRP. I like the Ironman, but what comes first is the people who have undergone so much agony already because of the traffic. So, I decided not to allow it this year,” the mayor said.
However, the mayor assured that the Ironman can still use the SRP coastal road anytime next year but not this year while construction of the tunnel at the South National Highway is still ongoing.
“It’s very prestigious to host the Ironman but you know I cannot make the people miserable for the sake of prestige. The people have suffered for so long already,” he added.
The portion of the South National Highway, where the PHP700-million underpass project is being constructed, has been temporarily closed causing heavy traffic in the area.
Osmeña also cited the two big accidents that occurred at the SRP during last year’s Ironman as another reason for his rejection of the proposal.
“The two accidents happened because we closed half of the coastal road. I don’t want that to happen again. That’s why we haven’t allowed any racing competition to be held at the SRP,” the mayor said.
The Cebu City Government has not only turned down the staging of the Ironman at the SRP but also of three other marathon races as well this year due to traffic concerns.
Cebu hosted the 2017 edition of the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship last year with around 3,000 triathletes from 50 different countries. (With reports from Bebie Jane Casipong/PNA)
