The stage is set for the much-anticipated 2024 Batang Pinoy in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan this month.
Around 12,000 student-athletes from 177 local government units (LGUs) in the country will compete in the tournament from Nov. 23 to 28.
Batang Pinoy serves as the major grassroots program of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
According to PSC Executive Director Paolo Tatad, they’ve done all the meetings and they’re now in the finish line of the preparations.
“We’re now holding a delegation registration meeting with LGUs (local government units) coming from the Visayas and Mindanao. Katatapos lang namin with Luzon and NCR (National Capital Region) LGUs last week,” core team member Anna Ruiz said during the same session presented by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, Smart/PLDT, Milo and the country’s 24/7 sports app Arena Plus.
The event features young athletes aged 12 to 17 years and will play in 30 different sports in celebration of the silver anniversary of the multi-sports event first held in 1999.
The large contingent that also included 1,000 technical officials will be billeted in 29 different schools around Puerto Princesa and can accommodate 15,000 persons, while 650 people have also been tapped as volunteers.
With the exception of gymnastics, all the accredited sports will be held in Palawan. Competitions in gymnastics are going to be staged in Manila, according to Tatad.
“One is comebacking sport in soft tennis. Obstacle sports, which used to be a demo sport, is now considered a regular sport, and then we have jiu-jitsu and kurash as first timers,” he said.
Age bracket has been divided into three: the 12-13 years old, 14-15 years old, and 16-17 years old who will vie for the total of 1,554 gold medals at stake.
“Batang Pinoy is here to stay. Batang Pinoy is something we really looked forward to by the LGUs, families, and most especially the young athletes. Batang Pinoy is here to stay because it’s a program where the young ones should be exposed and display their talent in terms of sports,” Tatad disclosed.IMT Sports
