CLOSE to 850 athletes and coaches from Benguet will swarm Apayao Province as it hopes to dislodge Baguio City when the 2019 edition of the Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association opens February 27.

Benguet, with the moniker “Stingers” will have the largest delegates from five provinces and two cities competing in the weeklong tournament vying for gold medals in the 23 regular sports events.

Baguio City, the defending champion, will send 830 athletes and coaches while host province Apayao is set to field 800 followed by Abra with 791, Ifugao with 786, Mountain Province with 741, Tabuk City with 715 and Kalinga having the least with 600.

With Benguet earning the name Stingers, other provinces and the two cities will also have their monikers such as Eagles (Apayao), Stallions (Abra), E-Lions (Baguio) Builders (Ifugao) Bulls (Kalinga) Braves (MP), and Brewers (Tabuk City).

Georaloy Palao-ay, Department of Education – Cordillera deputy sports coordinator said the monikers serve as a distinct character of every province and the two cities in the Cordillera.

Meanwhile, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones is expected to grace the CARAA meet as a guest speaker.

“We have scheduled the opening program in the morning because we know that Secretary Briones does not stay up late,” Palao-ay said.

Palao-ay said the organizing committee also prepared a short and simple opening program on February 27, focusing on the province’s culture, people and the place.

The DepEd official added Briones will be accompanied by other DepEd officials to visit the schools in the province.

Palao-ay said based on initial information, Briones will also visit Kalinga schools, after Apayao.

Apayao will host the Caraa for the second time since the region’s grassroots sports event was organized 30 years ago. It first hosted the event in 2013.

Bulk of the games will be played at the Apayao Eco-Tourism and Sports Complex in Luna while other games are scattered in different venues in the municipalities of Flora, Pudtol, and Sta. Marcela. (With a report from PNA)