AT LEAST 23 playing venues for the national finals of the Batang Pinoy were approved by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) during a recent inspection in Baguio City.
City sports coordinator Gaudencio Gonzales said the technical staff of the PSC has given thumbs up for the different playing venues of the Batang Pinoy to be staged on September 15 to 21.
Gonzales added the city is still determining venues for cycling, sepak takraw, and triathlon/duathlon in the annual national sporting event for in and out-of-school school, 15-year-old and below athletes.
“We are ready and with the PSC giving its thumbs up for our different venues then our hosting is definitely a go,” added Gonzales.
The Batang Pinoy national finals hosting was handed to the city on a silver platter courtesy of PSC Chairman William Ramirez unlike in the Palarong Pambansa where the city had to toil, haggle and woo its way to the elusive chance but eventually lost to Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.
Some of the confirmed venues that will be used are the Baguio Athletic Bowl for athletics, the Baguio swimming pool facility for swimming, University of the Cordilleras gymnasium for indoor volleyball, Saint Louis University for basketball; the Beneco Multi-Purpose Hall for chess; University of the Philippines Baguio for table tennis, and the Engineer’s Hill covered court for Pencak Silat.
Gonzales added that more than 3,000 athletes are expected to arrive in Baguio on September to compete with their fellow athletes from different regions in the country.
The top five winners in the Batang Pinoy leg in the individual categories and top three winners in the team category will be competing in the national finals.
The Summer Capital hopes to get its bid going for the national title after topping the Luzon leg held in Vigan City last year bagging 44 gold medals, 45 silvers and 41 bronze edging power house Laguna Province (42-21-31), Dasmariñas City (31-13-29), Pangasinan (28-28-24) and Quezon City (25-21-19).
Baguio City will also have its hands full when it defend its over-all championship it capture in 2016 held in Tagum City, Davao Del Norte capturing 55 gold, 41 silver and 41 bronze.
Expected to give Baguio a tough contest in the national finals are the cities of Quezon, Cebu and Davao. (Roderick Osis)