2,800 athletes to join Apayao provincial sports meet on Feb. 24 - 26

Luna, Apayao - Around 2,800 athletes from the seven municipalities of Apayao are expected to join the Apayao Provincial Athletic Meet, scheduled from February 24 to 26, 2024.

The event will be held at the Apayao Eco-Tourism and Sports Complex, along with other venues in the municipalities of Luna, Pudtol, Flora, and Santa Marcela, as cited by the Apayao Provincial Public Information Office.

Apayao Schools Division Office Sports Coordinator Marlon Trumpo disclosed during the Kapehan sa Kapitolyo session on Monday, February 19, that there are 23 regular sports and one special sport as part of the event.

These regular sports include archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, basketball, football, chess, boxing, billiards, baseball, gymnastics, sepak takraw, swimming, softball, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, dance sport, futsal, pencak silat, wushu, wrestling, and volleyball.

The inclusion of bocce, a bowling game, will take place as a special event.

To strengthen sports programs within schools, Trumpo emphasized that the DepEd will adhere to the "winner takes all" principle, where representatives from each event will come from a single champion school.

The principle will also be applied in the selection of athletes who will represent the province in the upcoming Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) meet and Palarong Pambansa.

Furthermore, a 'Kapehan sa DepEd' and CARAA Board Meeting is set for February 22. This meeting is geared towards planning the province's hosting of CARAA Meet 2024 in April.

To recall, Apayao athletes brought home a total of 193 medals during the CARAA Meet 2023, earning the province its first runner-up finish in the regional sporting event.