THEY are playing beach volleyball up there in Ilocos Norte and they are passionate about the sport.
“What is great about beach volleyball is that the sport magnetizes people to watch and it relies on the natural environment so the flora inherent to the area remains protected,” Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba of the Second District of Ilocos Norte said.
“Sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in tourism as more and more tourists are interested in sport activities,” Barba added.
Barba pioneered and organized beach volleyball in the province. He launched the first AMB Beach Volleyball Tournament dubbed “Palaro sa Dalampasigan sa Tag-Araw 2018” in April 2018 when he was the province’s vice governor.
It was an inter-town competition in the province’s Second District held at the Playa Tropical Beach front, Barangay Victoria, Currimao, Ilocos Norte.
“Beach volleyball is most well-known in the beaches in the US, especially in California, but it is also a popular sport in Brazil and Phuket in Thailand in Asia,” he said. “But I am convinced that our beaches in Ilocos Norte are at par or even surpass the beauty of these beaches and they need to be seen by the world.”
A significant development, Barba said, was the AMB Beach Volleyball Tournament being commissioned by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) as the official grassroots beach volleyball authority in Ilocos Norte.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Barba pushed for the 2021 AMB Beach Volleyball Tournament.
The AMB Beach Volleyball Clinic was conducted last April 18 by the PNVF-Ilocos Norte Volleyball to ensure the growth of local beach volleyball technical and officiating crews by learning the latest developments of the game.
The AMB Beach Volleyball District 2 Tournament was played last April 24 and 25 at the Playa Tropical in Barangay Victoria in Currimao and the AMB Beach Volleyball District 1 Tournament was conducted last May 14 and 15 at Villa Del Mar in Barangay Saud in Pagudpud.
The Crossover Match will be on June 19 at the D’Coral also in Currimao.
Barba stressed that all tournaments and activities adhere to health and safety protocols.
“As we are all managing anxiety and stress related to the pandemic, we should consider using physical activity and sport events as a strategy to maintain our physical, mental and emotional health during this challenging times,” Barba said.
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