The Department of Education has announced the return of the Palarong Pambansa this 2023, nearly three years since the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation. Photo courtesy of DepEd
MANILA — The Department of Education announced Tuesday it would resume the Palarong Pambansa this year, marking the first time that the sporting event would be held since the COVID-19 pandemic's onset.
In a statement, the DepEd said the 2023 Palarong Pambansa would take place from July 29 to August 5 in Marikina City.
The Palarong Pambansa (Filipino for "national games") is an annual multi-sport event involving student-athletes from across the country. It has not been held since 2020 due to the threat of COVID-19.
The division and regional meets for the games will be conducted on February 6 to 10 and April 24 to 28, respectively, according to a recent DepEd memorandum.
"However, the regional offices and [schools division offices] may opt to deviate from the recommended dates, and conduct their respective meets on a staggered per sport/s basis on a different schedule provided that no disruption of classes of participating student-athletes is being observed," the department said.
Qualifying meet
The DepEd said an additional tier called the pre-national qualifying meet would be added this year "to lessen the number of delegations, shorten the duration of the event, and lower the expenses to be incurred — all without sacrificing the level of play."
The new tier will "only feature team sports such as baseball, basketball, football, futsal, sepak takraw, football, and volleyball," it said.
Under the new tier, delegations will be clustered into four groups based on their geographical location:
- Cluster 1 - Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Cordillera Administrative Region
- Cluster 2 - CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, NCR, and Bicol Region
- Cluster 3 - Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula
- Cluster 4 - Northern Mindanao, Davao, SOCCKSARGEN, CARAGA, and BARMM
"The top two regional delegations per cluster will then advance to the actual Palarong Pambansa event," the DepEd explained, adding that the new format "aims to prevent the disruption of classes and to observe minimum public health and safety protocols."
"Measurable sports such as athletics, swimming, and archery will adopt the qualifying distance, time, and points set by the Palarong Pambansa. Other sports that do not apply qualifying standards in the selection of athletes and are not identified as team sports will advance directly to the Palarong Pambansa culminating competitions," the DepEd said.
Student-athletes in recognized overseas schools can also compete in individual sports under the banner of Philippine Schools Overseas, the agency added.
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