Puerto Princesa City: Everything is set for the staging of the 2024 Batang Pinoy in Puerto Princesa City in the province of Palawan less than three weeks from now. Project director Paolo Tatad stated that only minor kinks are being worked out, otherwise, all systems go for the Nov. 23-28 event that serves as the major grassroots program of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
According to Philippines News Agency, Tatad, PSC executive director, mentioned in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex that they are finalizing preparations. A delegation registration meeting with local government units (LGUs) from the Visayas and Mindanao is ongoing until Nov. 7, following the completion of similar meetings with LGUs from Luzon and the National Capital Region last week. Core team member Anna Ruiz confirmed this during the session supported by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, Smart/PLDT, Milo, and the country’s 24/7 sports app Arena Plus.
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round 12,000 delegates from 177 LGUs are set to compete in the event, designed for young athletes aged 12 to 17 years and featuring 30 different sports, marking the silver anniversary of the multi-sports event first held in 1999. The contingent, which includes 1,000 technical officials, will be accommodated in 29 different schools around Puerto Princesa, capable of hosting 15,000 people. Additionally, 650 volunteers have been enlisted to support the event.
With the exception of gymnastics, all accredited sports will take place in Palawan, while gymnastics competitions are scheduled to be held in Manila. Tatad highlighted the inclusion of soft tennis as a returning sport and obstacle sports, now a regular sport, along with jiu-jitsu and kurash as new additions.
The competition is divided into three age brackets: 12-13 years old, 14-15 years old, and 16-17 years old, with a total of 1,554 gold medals available. Tatad emphasized that the younger age group has been temporarily excluded.
Expressing gratitude to
the local government of Puerto Princesa City, Tatad noted that Palawan is experienced in hosting sports events. Following Batang Pinoy, the province will host the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area) Friendship Games from Dec. 1-5.
Tatad affirmed that Batang Pinoy is a valued program for LGUs, families, and young athletes, emphasizing that it will continue as long as the PSC supports its mission to expose and develop young talents in sports.