IRAA gets going, 15,000 youths vie for honors

MANILA, Philippines - The Ilocos Region Athletic Association (IRAA) meet got under way Monday with around 15,000 student-athletes competing in various events at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

Modesto Operania, the provincial sports consultant, said elementary and high school athletes in Region I will slug it out in 16 sports, namely: athletics, swimming, volleyball, chess, sepak-takraw, gymnastics, table tennis, lawn tennis, taekwondo, softball, badminton, arnis, football, softball, baseball and basketball. 

Ilocos Norte is gunning for its 12th straight overall championship in the annual meet jointly hosted by the Pangasinan Division 2 and the provincial government of Pangasinan

In his welcome speech, Gov. Amado Espino Jr. suggested that the IRAA be re-named as Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA) since the IRAA title connotes that Pangasinan is not part of it.

For his part, Alberto Muyot, Department of Education Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs, said the sports meet is the venue where the “great potential of regional athletes can be honed and improved to make them responsible athletes and globally competitive.”

Muyot underscored the importance of sports as he said that it enables the athletes to become healthy, adding that it builds character and teaches the indispensable value of teamwork, fair play and perseverance.

He said the DepEd conducts athletic sports competitions to promote physical education and sports as an integral part of the basic education curriculum and as affirmation of the schools’ commitment to the full development of the great potentials of the youth to become responsible and globally competitive citizens of society and instill I them values inherent in sports activities.