LINGAYEN—More than 300 Pangasinan athletes trooped to Iba, Zambales last week for the Batang Pinoy–Luzon cluster elimination games aiming to win slots for the national competition scheduled in November.

The athletes, accompanied by 64 coaches and 10 team managers headed by provincial government sports coordinator Exec. Asst. Modesto Operaña, battled other young athletes from provinces in regions 1, 2, 3, 4-A, 4-B, 5, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and the National Capital Region.

Pangasinan’s players, aged 15 years old and below, competed in 18 sports disciplines including arnis, archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, boxing, chess, cycling, karatedo, lawn tennis, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis, volleyball, basketball (3/3), and triathlon.

In previous competitions, Pangasinan excelled in boxing, basketball, volleyball, athletics and karatedo.

The province’s cycling team is already an automatic qualifier to the national level.

With support from the provincial government, the Pangasinan team over the last two years has improved its ranking in the annual sports competition organized by the Philippine Sports Commission, moving up from 18th overall in 2011 to 11 last year .

Team Pangasinan romped off with the over-all championship of the Batang Pinoy Northern Luzon leg that was participated in by representatives from Regions 1 to 2 and CAR last year.

“We are expecting a more competitive fight this time with the participation of regions IV-A (CALABARZON), IV-B (MIMAROPA), V (Bicol) and National Capital Region (NCR), but we are confident that our athletes will make it,” Operaña said as the team set off.—(PIO)

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