Davao City’s young athletes aged 15 years old and under recorded a smashing performance in the recent Batang Pinoy National Championships held in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The Davao delegation finished third overall with 31 golds, 30 silvers and 41 bronze medals behind only back-to-back overall champion Baguio City and Cebu City.
The accomplishment made by these young athletes only proved that Davao City has come a long way from being middle-rung performers in the annual competitions organized by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to being a top contender for the overall championship. Davao City was in second place after Day 2 before plunging to 4th and eventually finishing third. This is by far, the best finish by the city in the history of the Batang Pinoy National Championships.
The Batang Pinoy is the competition for athletes considered as ‘entry level’ class before they graduate to the junior elite and elite class. This is the stage where the future members of the country’s national teams are beginning to shape and with a few more years of training and coaching, should be ready for the junior level competitions prior to becoming elite athletes in the national team. Hence, Davao City has produced athletes who are among the top tier developmental athletes the country can tap for future international competitions.
The third place finish gave Davao City a P2 million incentive from the PSC in the form of sports equipment–something that the next generation of Davao athletes can utilize.
Therefore, the Batang Pinoy despite being classified as entry-level for young athletes is a very important competition which the city’s sports officials must give significant attention. However, the recent competitions in Palawan did not attract the presence of the city government’s sports officials as only the staff of the City Sports Development Office were there. Unfortunately, unlike other events like the Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia, and the locally-held Ironman Triathlon, the Batang Pinoy for kids may have been regarded ‘small-time.’
With minors as participants in the Batang Pinoy, there is an even more compelling reason for the city’s officials to be present to ensure the welfare of our children athletes.
