THE 383-member Davao City delegation is poised to defend the overall championship title of the Batang Pinoy 2019 Mindanao Leg slated February 3 to 9 in Tagum City.

Irish Mae Aberilla of the Sports Development Division of the City Mayor's Office (SDD-CMO), during Thursday's Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at The Annex of SM City Davao, said: "Yes po sa tingin ko madedepensahan parin naman. Malakas parin po naman ang teams kahit na sinabi ng mga coaches na graduate na ang mga sumali last year sa Oroquieta."

She cited the swimming team, composed of 20 male and 18 female tankers, is a strong force to reckon with as most were also medalists in the 10th BIMPNT-Eaga Friendship Games in Brunei Darussalam last December.

The boys and girls basketball and girls futsal teams, according to her, are also gold medal contenders.

"Maganda po training ng athletes kasi most of them maglalaro din sa Davraa Meet, continuous training nila," she added.

The city's delegation is composed of 310 athletes, 49 coaches, 21 officials, and three medical staff.

The defending champion delegation will also field entries in

archery, arnis, athetics, badminton, baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls boxing, chess, dancesports, boys futsal, karatedo, lawn tennis, sepak takraw, softball, table tennis, taekwondo, boys and girls indoor volleyball and beach volleyball.

The city's delegation will leave in two batches. The first batch will leave in the afternoon of February 2 while the last batch will depart for Tagum at 8 a.m. on February 3.

The regional leg of the Batang Pinoy 2019, a program of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), will open in the afternoon of February 3.