By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Twenty-one sports kick off the 2018 Batang Pinoy National Championships today in different venues in Baguio City and Benguet Province.
Starting their medal quests are athletes from archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing chess, karatedo, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball.
Hostilities in futsal, gymnastics, muay, triathlon, weightlifting and wrestling also heat up in their respective venues.
Pencak silat, road cycling, judo and wushu will be competed today while dancesport and mountain bike cycling are scheduled on Thursday. Triathlon/duathlon races will be on Wednesday.
Thousands of youth athletes across the country are participating in this weeklong grassroots sports program put up by the Philippine Sports Commission with the support of the local government unit of Baguio City.
On Friday, hundreds of athletes took shelter at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Vito Cruz, Manila and the Philsports Complex in Pasig after being caught up by super typhoon Ompong on their way to Baguio City. They left on Sunday morning in time for the competitions.
The PSC and the local government unit of Baguio City, however, had been in constant coordination with other LGUs for the safe travel of the athletes through weather and road advisories going to Baguio City.
There are 88 LGUs and 2,715 delegates registered as of Saturday and more are expected to come at presstime as weather improves in the city.
