EIGHT gold medals will be at stake when advanced competitions in athletics are held during the opening rites of the 2023 Palarong Pambansa at the Philsports oval in Pasig on July 31.
This will happen after one of the two centerpiece events of the Palaro is conducted as a separate event in the multi-sport event’s opener.
Recently, the Department of Education’s Palarong Pambansa Secretariat agreed on the recommendations of technical officials to move the first events of athletics, the field events.
Set to start at 8 a.m. are the elementary competitions of the pole vault and high jump events, while the secondary hostilities in both meets will go in the afternoon, starting at 3 p.m.
“Doon na po sa Philsports ang dalawang events ng pole vault at high jump,” said Narciso Dasigan, tournament manager of the Palaro.
Technical officials involved informed the secretariat that the track and field stadium inside the Marikina Sports Complex would not be able to accommodate all the events in athletics and the para games when the Palaro officially commences.
The venue, according to their studies, might be too small to handle the field events, which includes pole vault, high jump and long jump.
With the adjustments done in the scheduling, organizers have slated the all the high jump and the pole vault competitions to be a whole-day event at the Philsports field.
Aside from athletics, medals will also be at stake in archery, arnis, badminton, baseball, basketball, billiards, boxing, chess, dance sports, football, futsal, goal ball, bocce, gymnastics, pencak silat, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, wrestling, and wushu.
The Palarong Pambansa is making a comeback this month after it was canceled for three years since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.