BY the time this paper hits the newsstand, the more than 220 athletes from Baguio City would have started competing in the resumption of the Batang Pinoy 2022 National Championships in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur starting Dec. 17 to 21.
Athletes aged 15 years old and below from the Summer Capital will be once again marked as Baguio seeks to duplicate its overall dominance in the weeklong competition after bagging the overall plum in 2018 and 2019.
As Baguio City guns for a rare three-peat, the provincial government of Ilocos Sur assured the Philippine Sports Commission that all hands are on deck to get all venues and requirements games-ready.
Close to 7,000 athletes, coaches, officials, parents, and spectators, and 300 volunteers from schools and private companies will be in the province as hostilities for the sports event gets going.
PSC earlier said this edition of Batang Pinoy is the first face-to-face edition of the Games after the onset of the pandemic and sets the bar high with several firsts.
Competitions in archery, badminton, chess, table tennis, and swimming are set to start on the day of the opening ceremony.
This will also be the first time that Batang Pinoy will hold virtual competitions.
The sports of arnis, dancesport, judo, karate, muay, pencak silat, taekwondo and wushu will have their matches virtually and shall be shown on the PSC YouTube channel on the BP virtual week, scheduled from December 11 to 15.
The on-site games, an initiative of PSC Chairman Noli Eala, will also be streamed live on the PSC’s YouTube channel, a first for the sports agency’s premier youth grassroots sports program since it started in 1999.
This aims to allow parents of participants, their families, and the public to watch and rewatch their bets’ games anytime and anywhere there is an internet connection.
Earlier, PSC and Nestle Philippines Inc. – MILO signed a memorandum of agreement in their bid to revive and further strengthen the country’s grassroots programs from which rose world-class athletes like Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, Olympic Silver medalist Carlo Paalam, and World champions Caloy Yulo and Phillip Delarmino, among others.
