Baguio schools to defend Little Olympics crown
AS THE Summer Capital braces for the possible hosting of the Palarong Pambansa in 2018, Baguio City is gearing for another hosting of the Milo Little Olympics slated September 8-10.
It’s all systems go for the annual sports events for 16 and under and 12 and under children competiting in 15 different sports events.
Expected to see action in the three day event are close to 7,000 student athletes from Regions I, II, III and the Cordillera Administrative Region coming from over 180 schools all over north Luzon.
Athletes will compete in arnis, athletics, badminton, basketball, chess, football, karatedo, gymnastics, scrabble, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball.
Since 1988, the Milo Little Olympics sought to promote the youth's physical and mental well-being as well as develop children with values of discipline, teamwork, self-confidence, leadership, resilience and fair play.
The Milo Little Olympics is conducted annually in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and the National Capital Region.
Baguio City High School will have its hands full as it defends the over-all crown in the high school division as they gun for supremacy for fifth straight years.
City High got a total of 178 points and swept the athletics contest while finishing first in girls badminton, girls lawn tennis, and boys swimming.
Expected to challenge City High’s reign is University of Baguio came in second with 130 points after topping the chess competition and tae kwon do while placing second in boys athletics, girls swimming, and arnis in boys and girls with third place finishes in girls athletics.
Holy Angel University meanwhile seeks to improve its third place finish last year with Urdaneta City National High School and Olongapo City National High School hoping for a better finish this year.
In the elementary division, San Vicente Elementary School will defend the crown after topping the athletics contest while placing 6th in volleyball girls to edged second placer University of Baguio – Laboratory Elem. School which garnered 58 points coming from their championship in the boys and girls tae kwon do including the first and second place finish in arnis and fifth in girls swimming.
Elpidio Quirino Elementary School last year finished third with 52 points after topping the girls arnis division while finishing second in arnis boys, rhythmic gymnastics and third place finishes in table tennis girls and volleyball girls. Bonifacio Elementary School completed the Baguio sweep in the top four with 48 points while Berkeley School topped the elementary basketball to finish with 25 points. Roderick Osis