Sandugo-Unigames lures 50 schools

MANILA, Philippines — The 17th  Sandugo-University Games has lured more than 50 schools, the bulk of which is seeing action in men’s basketball, where reigning UAAP champion Ateneo is gunning for back-to-back crowns.

The Eagles, who captured a fifth straight UAAP title recently, headline the 24-team field in basketball in the weeklong games that starts Monday at University of St. La Salle Coliseum.

The Unigames has made stops in Iloilo City, Dumaguete City and Roxas City in recent years, but with the decision to award the hosting rights to USLS, the multisport event will be returning to Bacolod, the site of its inaugural staging 17 years ago.

Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia will keynote the opening rites at 6 p.m. on Monday with Unigames chair Fr. Felipe Belleza and Sandugo executive vice president Perry Doroja also expected to grace the program.

Considered the biggest gathering of collegiate athletes in the country, the Unigames lures teams from the UAAP, NCAA, as well as colleges and universities in Mindanao and the Visayas.

Thirteen events have been lined up for the Unigames with basketball and volleyball among the biggest crowd drawers. Expected to challenge Ateneo for the title are University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern U, National U and local squad West Negros U, which lost to Ateneo in the finals last year.

Adamson is also defending its title in women’s basketball with FEU, St. Benilde, Phiten-backed Lyceum, UST and Rizal Technological U among the top challengers.

Athletics, chess, taekwondo, football, table tennis, lawn tennis, swimming, beach volleyball, karatedo, and sepak takraw are also calendared in the event sponsored by Smart and supported by Gatorade, Red Bull and Molten.

Sandugo expanded its support as title sponsor of the Unigames this year as part of the company’s long-term commitment to support Philippine sports.