Phl sending 83-strong delegation to Universiade

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines, through the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP), will be sending an 83-person delegation of athletes, coaches and team officials to the 2013 Summer Universiade, also called the World University Games, in Kazan, Russia July 6-17.

The FESSAP is sending athletes in 11 sports – athletics, badminton, beach volleyball, basketball (men), chess, fencing, judo, swimming, table tennis, tennis and weightlifting.

The basketball men’s team will be represented by the University of Visayas (UV), which recently topped the FESSAP-sanctioned 65th National Students Basketball Championship (NSBC) held in Bukidnon.

The tournament was organized by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, president of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP),  in cooperation with BAP Region 10 officials and supported by San Miguel Corporation, AgriNurture Inc (ANI), Bestank, H2O Technologies, Healthy Options and Cobra Energy Drink.

Held every two years, the Summer Universiade features the most prominent university athletes from the world.

In the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China , the Philippines was among a record-setting 152 countries and was among the 65 countries that brought home a medal – a silver courtesy of Far Eastern University’s Samuel Thomas Harper Morrison in taekwondo.

AgriNurture Inc. (ANI) chairman Antonio Tiu will be the head of delegation. Retired Col. Ariel Querubin, vice president of Philippine Federation of Body Builders Inc.,  will be the country’s flag bearer during the opening ceremonies on July 6.

The Kazan Universiade has attracted more than 180 countries, led by the United States, People’s Republic of China, Japan, South Korea and host Russia.

Felix Tiukinhoy, FESSAP assistant secretary general for Visayas and commissioner of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI), has already informed UV board chairman Congressman Eddie Gullas of the forthcoming event.