The Philippine Sports Commission held an ocular inspection of venues of the 2022 Batang Pinoy national championships over the weekend.
PSC officials also held a meeting with the Ilocos Sur provincial government to iron out kinks in the staging of the event set 17 December.
The sportsfest is expected to draw 7,000 athletes, coaches, officials, parents and spectators and 300 volunteers from schools and private companies.
Ilocos Sur, through Ryan Vera-Cruz, the provincial sports coordinator, assured the PSC that all hands are on deck to get all venues and requirements Games-ready.
Competitions in archery, badminton, chess, table tennis and swimming kick off hostilities.
“We are assuring the safety and comfort of our participating athletes coming in the province, with the upgrading of amenities in each of the 21 billeting schools that will be used for the games, through the initiative of Ilocos Sur Governor Jerry Singson,” Vera-Cruz said.
Edwin Llanes, the sports agency’s North Luzon sports coordinator and Batang Pinoy secretariat head Alona Quintos, led the PSC inspection team.
The on-site games, an initiative of PSC Chairman Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala, will also be streamed live on the PSC’s YouTube channel, a first for the sports agency’s premier youth grassroots sports program since it started in 1999.