DAPITAN CITY, Philippines – Thirteen local government units are fielding the full force of their youth athletic armies which will compete in the Mindanao leg of the Philippine Olympic Committee-Philippine Sports Commission Batang Pinoy 2012 starting Wednesday here.
At least 1,000 participants from different parts of the region will gather to determine who among them will qualify for the national finals and earn possible slots in the national training pool.
The participating LGUs of Tubungan, Leganes, Iligan, Misamis Oriental, Gingoog, Saranggani Province, Agusan del Sur, Gen. Santos City, Davao del Norte, Sibugay, Siocon, Malaybalay and host Zamboanga del Norte have already settled in this historic seaside city.
They will compete in 10 sports namely track and field, swimming, arnis, badminton, boxing, chess, lawn tennis, karatedo, taekwondo and table tennis.
Pencak silat will also be played as national final event with competitors coming all the way from Zamboanga City, Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo Province and Iloilo City.
Dapitan City Mayor Patri Bajamunde-Chan will lead the welcoming of athletes and officials in Tuesday’s opening rites at the Jose Rizal Memorial State University Sports Complex.
“We are pleased to announce that our region is ready to host big events like the Batang Pinoy and let the country know that Mindanao particularly Dapitan City is an athletic force to reckon with in the national level,” said Bajamunde-Chan.
PSC and POC officials are also slated to grace the opening ceremony led by PSC chair Richie Garcia and commissioners Jolly Gomez, Akiko Thomson-Guevara and Buddy Andrada.
Opening ceremony begins at 2 p.m., after the solidarity meeting of national sports associations technical officials, coaches trainers, team managers, head of delegations and local officials.
The JRMSUSC will play host to the centerpiece events of track and field, swimming, table tennis and lawn tennis, while arnis will be at New Government Center Lobby, badminton at Dapitan City Cultural Center, boxing Dapitan City Square, chess Sangguniang Panglalawigan Hall, karatedo and taekwondo Rizal Memorial Institute covered courts.
Billeting areas will be the Dapitan City Central School, Dapitan City Experimental School and Dapitan City National High School.