THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has given its thumbsup sign on the readiness of Ilocos Sur to host the 2022 Batang Pinoy National Championships starting December 17 as the government’s sports arm held an ocular inspection of the venues last weekend.

More than 7,000 athletes, coaches, officials, parents and spectators are expected to arrive in the province for the first faceto-face staging of the games since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ryan Vera-Cruz, provincial sports coordinator, assured the visiting PSC officials that all hands are on deck to get all venues and requirements gamesready before the opening ceremony.

“We are assuring the safety and comfort of our participating athletes coming in the province, with the upgrading of amenities in each of the 21 billeting schools that will be used for the games, through the initiative of Ilocos Sur Gov. Jerry Singson,” said Vera-Cruz.

Competitions in archery, badminton, chess, table tennis and swimming are set to start on the day of the opening ceremony.

Edwin Llanes, the PSC’s North Luzon sports coordinator and Batang Pinoy head of the National Secretariat Alona Quintos led the meetings and inspection.

The Batang Pinoy introduced virtual competitions in this edition as arnis, dance sport, judo, karate, muay, pencak silat, taekwondo and wushu will have their competition recorded virtually and shall be shown on the PSC’s YouTube channel from December 11-15.

The onsite games will also be streamed live on the PSC’s YouTube channel, a first for the sports agency’s premier youth grassroots sports program since it started in 1999.

Meanwhile, PSC chairman Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala and Nestle Philippines Business Executive Officer-Beverages and Confectionery Veronica Cruz represented their respective organizations during the signing of a memorandum of agreement for the Batang Pinoy on Monday, November 28, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Manila.

“For Batang Pinoy to once again work with Nestle Philippines and Milo, is truly an honor, as well as a blessing for the Filipino youth. We hope that we can continue to interest Milo to be a strong partner for PSC, not only for Batang Pinoy but for our entire grassroots program,” said Eala.

With the support of Milo and other private sector partners, the PSC aims to revive and further strengthen its grassroots programs.

“You can count on us as we continue to grow grassroots sports, support our athletes, and nourish kids’ journey to success. We look forward to Batang Pinoy and all other collaborations we will have in the future,” Cruz added.