THE University games board has given back the hosting of Unigames this coming October to Bacolod.

Unigames president Roger Banzuela said Friday that based on their meeting last February 12 at the De La Salle University, the board turned down Baguio as the host of the next Unigames.

"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.

Banzuela said Saint Louis University as member is not yet ready to host the event due to lack of facilities.

"Other reasons were the lack of the city's letter of intent to host the games which is among the pre-requisite," Banzuela added.

Earlier, Baguio Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. pinpointed the Baguio-Benguet Educational Athletic League to coordinate with the officials of UniGames for the hosting.

"UniGames has long wanted for Baguio to play host but the problem is that we don't have ample venue for the more than 10,000 athletes who will participate," Saint Louis University athletic director Lucy Calagui earlier said.

UniGames is the only national collegiate sports competition, which started 1996 at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, gathering together the finest varsity athletes from private and government universities from all over the country in the spirit of fair play, friendship, and top-caliber competition.

The 12 sports disciplines to be competed in the event are athletics, badminton, basketball, chess, football, lawn tennis, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, and beach volleyball.

Fifty-two schools are participating every year in the collegiate sports event coming from the various parts of the country, which includes top universities in the UAAP and NCAA.

Bautista said the city would only help in terms of providing the venue and help in whatever logistics it could offer.

However, Banzuela said Baguio has still a chance to host Unigames with the final deadline set before the month of May.

"They can still host if the really want to as long as we will be notified by May," Banzuela said.

He said that if Baguio and SLU would join hands in hosting, Bacolod will give in, and Unigames will be part of Baguio's centennial celebration. (Roderick Osis)