Tuesday, December 23, 2008 City to host 2009 Unigames By Roderick Osis
WITH the renovation of the Baguio Athletic Bowl in full swing, Baguio City is once again gearing for the University Games (Unigames), which will be part of the city's centennial celebration.
It will be the first time the city will host the Unigames and preparations for the 14th collegiate athletic meet is underway with top UAAP and NCAA teams expected to grace the occasion.
Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr., during the weekly Ugnayang Panlungsod hosted by DzEQ Radyo ng Bayan, said some P30 million has been allotted by the city for the upkeep of the Athletic bowl which will host the annual sports meet.
Bautista said the scope of work to be done in Athletic bowl will include renovation of the main bleachers, basketball and volleyball courts, and improvement of the drainage system.
He added the rubberized track oval will be completed in time for the opening of the sports meet which will host at least 20 colleges and universities around the country.
The Unigames is expected to bring in at least P5 million into the economy of Baguio and nearby Benguet because the participants will be college students.
"They will not just be here to compete. They will also be here to see the place and sample what Baguio has to offer," said Bautista.
The 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.
Through the years, it has served as feeder for our different national teams representing the Philippines in the Olympics, the Asian Games, Southeast Asian Games, and other international sports competitions.
Twelve sports disciplines are expected to be part of the Unigames, which include athletics, badminton, basketball, chess, football, lawn tennis, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, and beach volleyball.
