DepEd scraps boxing from Palarong Pambansa elementary division
Education Secretary Armin Luistro INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Armin Luistro has scrapped boxing in the elementary division from this year’s Palarong Pambansa after a 16-year-old student boxer died at a regional athletic meet last year.
He however retained boxing in the high school division, along with other Palarong Pambansa contact sports arnis and taekwondo.
Last December, Jonas Garcia, a fourth-year high school student from Bulacan, died after days in a coma following the second round of a boxing bout at the Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association meet in Iba, Zambales.
His death prompted calls to ban combative sports in DepEd-sanctioned athletic meets.
“Boxing in the elementary division shall be excluded,” Luistro said in his February 12 memorandum in which he officially identified the sports to be included in the 57th Palarong Pambansa to be held from May 4 to 10 in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.
Wrestling, another contact sport, would be introduced for the first time in the Palarong Pambansa as a no-bearing demonstration sport.
Wushu, billiards and the football-variant futsal would also remain demonstration sports even after they made their debut as demo sports in last year’s Palarong Pambansa.
Luistro said Sipa in the elementary division would now be played as Sepak Takraw Jr. and will be government by the rules in Sepak Takraw.
Hosted by the Department of Education and the Laguna provincial government this year, the annual Palarong Pambansa serves as a talent pool for future national athletes.
The regular events of the Palarong Pambansa are archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball.
As demonstration sports, wushu, billiards, futsal and wrestling will have no merit in the medal count of the participating regions, although the individual winners will be awarded medals.
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