Roxas City readies biggest UniGames staging

MANILA, Philippines—With 46 schools confirming their participation, the 16th Philippine National University Games may yet turn out to be the biggest ever.

The week-long UniGames, the biggest gathering of the country’s top collegiate athletes, get going October 22 in Roxas City, Capiz, with Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion as host.

Philippine Sports Commissioner Jolly Gomez said the sports agency is backing the Games again this year as part of their talent-search program for the national team.

“It’s a good competition for collegiate athletes from all over the country. It’s still part of our program for the elite level,” Gomez said at the PSA Forum Tuesday.

Fourteen disciplines are on tap in the Oct. 22 to 29 event, namely, basketball, athletics football, lawn tennis, swimming, badminton, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, beach volleyball, billiards, chess and sepak takraw.

San Beda will defend three titles—men’s football, men’s table tennis and swimming.

La Salle hopes to repeat in women’s football and women’s chess, while University of the Philippines looks to keep its women’s swimming title.

National U is the defending champion in men’s basketball.