Focus Taiwan
Date: 01/26/2020
By William Yen)

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) A two-day Lunar New Year basketball tournament for members of an international Philippine Ilocano organization opened in Taichung on Sunday, with hundreds gathering at a local park for the opening ceremony and the day's games.

Rain forced the event to move to a park with a covered basketball court and delayed opening day action to determine Monday's semifinalists. But that did not diminish support for the event, the sixth annual sports festival organized by the Confederation of Ilocano Association, Samahang Ilokano (CIA-SI) Taiwan.

The Ilocanos are one of the largest ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines and trace their origins to the provinces along the northwestern seaboard of Luzon.

Tournament officials and referees

The tournament is being held just two weeks after the Taal volcano started erupting earlier this month, causing thousands of Filipino families to take shelter in evacuation centers across Luzon, and the group has taken notice.    [FULL  STORY]