TAKING advantage of the semestral break, the Philippine Sports Commission has rescheduled the Batang Pinoy National Championships to Nov. 23 to 29 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, to be followed by the BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games from Dec. 1 to 5 also in the Palawan capital.

At the same time, the National Para Games will be conducted from Nov. 12 to 15 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex instead of the Marikina Sports Park.

PSC executive director and BP project director Paulo Tatad issued a statement last Sept. 12 explaining the change of dates that was posted on the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines website for the Batang Pinoy featuring athletes aged 12 to 17.

“The PSC has been diligently working to ensure a successful Batang Pinoy National Championships this year. To expedite the preparations and ensure a smooth event, we initially decided to follow the same week that the Batang Pinoy was held last year,” Tatad said.

“Unfortunately, after the DepEd calendar was released, we discovered that Dec. 15 to 20 would still coincide with school classes. As a result, we adjusted the dates from December 15-20 to Nov. 23 to 29, which aligns with their mid-year school break,” he explained.

“We reiterate our sincere apologies for any inconvenience the change may have caused. The PSC remains committed in providing a safe, enjoyable and competitive environment for all participants. We appreciate your understanding and support as we work to make this year’s Batang Pinoy National Championships a memorable event,” Tatad said.

In an earlier announcement last Aug. 12, he said the government sports agency decided to limit the participation of athletes from 12 to 17 years old due to the shortage in personnel of the Technical Working Group handling the Batang Pinoy, National Para Games and BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games.

These conditions, Tatad said, would result in limited playing and billeting venues in Palawan.

“We believe that the new age bracket will allow us to better manage the resources available and ensure a successful tournament,” he said, with the reassurance that “the younger age groups will be included in this year’s edition of the Batang Pinoy.”

Staging the BP nationals in Palawan separate from the Philippine National Games will also pave the way for a smoother operation of the meet compared to last year when both competitions were held in December in Metro Manila at the height of the Christmas season.

Around 13,000 athletes and officials from all over the country are expected to converge in Puerto Princesa to participate in the flagship grassroots projects of the PSC.

Philippine Paralympic Committee secretary general Goody Custodio and his staff made an ocular inspection of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex last Monday preparatory for the staging of the National Para Games.

Custodio said nine sports disciplines are being lined up for the meet for physically-challenged athletes, including the centerpiece events of track and field and swimming plus wheelchair basketball, para archery, para powerlifting and para table tennis, among others.

“We aim to sustain our momentum given the relative success of our national para athletes in the last Paris Paralympic Games by discovering new talents and considering that the Nagoya Asian Para Games is just two years away,” Custodio said.