CHED National Games unfolds today

MANILA, Philippines - Graced by no less than President Arroyo, the country’s premier collegiate sports showcase – the 2010 Commission on Higher Education (CHED) National Games – unfolds today amid glittering opening ceremonies at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

Representing the cream of varsity sports, over 5,000 athletes from the country’s 17 regions will be in town to compete in the weeklong sportsfest conceptualized and organized by CHED chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Angeles.

“What makes the CHED National Games truly comprehensive is the participation of athletes from private schools and institutions, state colleges and universities and local government colleges and universities in the meet,” Angeles said.

“I personally consider the CHED National Games as a milestone for Philippine higher education because this is the first time that (private) higher educational institutions, state universities and colleges and local government colleges and universities are staging an integrated national sports competition,” President Arroyo said in a statement on the eve of the meet’s opening rites.

“The need to put together the best athletes from all these institutions has never been this urgent in our desire to discover and develop top-caliber athletes who can represent the Philippines in international sports competitions someday,” President Arroyo added.

Aside from President Arroyo and chairman Angeles, also invited to today’s inaugural ceremonies are Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.

PRISAA chairman, Dr. Gonzalo Duque, SCUAA president, Dr. Lauro Tacbas, and LCUAA president Tomas Lopez will likewise be on hand at the opening of the Games whose theme is “Building Bridges, Achieving Excellence.”

Among the highlights of today’s affair are the presentation of colors of the CHED National Games and the banners of the PRISAA, SCUAA and LCUAA, plus the torch relay and the lighting of the urn of “Friendship, Peace, Prosperity and Unity.”

President Arroyo formally declares the Games open.

Action goes full blast tomorrow when the athletes vie in 18 sports.

 spread over selected venues in Metro Manila.

The individual sports are men’s and women’s athletics, men’s and women’s badminton, men’s boxing, men’s and women’s chess, dance sports, men’s and women’s judo, men’s and women’s karatedo, men’s and women’s lawn tennis, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s table tennis and men’s and women’s taekwondo.

Also on tap are men’s baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s beach volleyball, men’s football, men’s sepak takraw, men’s softball, men’s volleyball and women’s volleyball.