NO less than Olympic silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio will spice up this Saturday’s opening ceremony of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)-Batang Pinoy National Championships at the Quirino Stadium in Bantay, Ilocos Sur.
Besides Paalam and Petecio, who are products of the PSC’s grassroots programs, Olympian judoka Kiyomi Watanabe and Southeast Asian Games gold medalists Chloe Isleta (swimming) and Mary Allin Aldeguer (arnis) are also joining the opening ceremony.
“The Batang Pinoy program has already produced numerous champions in various sports since it started in 1999,” said Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala, who will formally open the Batang Pinoy, his first major project as PSC chairman.
“I’m sure that the stories of our bemedaled athletes will inspire our young athletes who will be competing in Ilocos Sur to reach the height they have achieved,” he added.
The Batang Pinoy (National Youth Games) is one of the PSC’s centerpiece programs for grassroots sports. It heeds the call of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to bring sports closer to every Filipino.
The other VIPs expected to attend the opening ceremony are Governor Jeremias “Jerry” Singson of the host province, Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and officials of various national sports associations.
More than 6,000 athletes aged 15 and under from over 140 local government units will compete in nine in-person sports—archery, athletics, badminton, chess, cycling, table tennis, swimming and weightlifting and demonstration sport obstacle sports.
Competitions commence on opening day in archery at the San Ildefonso Central School, badminton at the Ilocos Sur Badminton Center, chess at the Baluarte Function Hall, swimming at the Quirino Stadium and table tennis at San Vicente Gymnasium.
Competitions in arnis, dancesport, judo, karate, muay, pencak silat, taekwondo and wushu, will be held virtually via the PSC Facebook and YouTube platforms.
The Batang Pinoy is being staged in partnership with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Department of the Interior and Local Government Unit and the Department of Education and co-presented by Milo Philippines, Pocari Sweat Otsuka Solar Philippines, Universal Robina Corp., Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Globe Telecom and Beautéderm.