By Liwayway Yparraguirre/ PNA
DAGUPAN CITY — The Balon Dagupan Team is all set to make a back-to back record as overall champion with its 611 delegates in the Region 1 Athletics Association (R1AA) Meet 2019 to be held at the Ilocos Norte Schools Division this week.
In an interview Friday, Dagupan City Sports Commission vice chairman Finnela Sim said the city is fielding a strong team in swimming, as well as in arnis, archery, athletics, badminton, billiards, baseball, basketball, chess, football, futsal, gymnastics, sepak takraw, pencak silat, tennis, taekwondo, table tennis, volleyball, softball, and wushu.
Sim said they are sending for the first-time competitors in boxing and wrestling for the R1AA Meet.
She added the city also has Special Education (SPED) athletes in athletics, swimming, and bocce.
For this year, the city is sending 611 delegates, 474 of whom are athletes.
Balon Dagupan Team dethroned defending overall champion, Pangasinan II Schools Division, which ended up as second runner-up in last year’s R1AA, while Pangasinan I Schools Division was the first runner-up.
The team won 71 gold, 51 silver, and 34 bronze medals. The swimming team contributed almost half of the gold medals.
Meanwhile, the R1AA 2019 Secretariat earlier announced the postponement of the regional meet from March 3-8 to March 6-11 at the recommendation of the Department of Health (DOH).
In a statement, Schools Division Supt. Vilma Eda of Ilocos Norte said the DOH reported on the increasing measles cases in the region.
“This is to allow time for the conduct of vaccination, to saturate all the delegations and the host communities that will possibly be affected, and to allow time for the athletes who will be vaccinated to recuperate prior to the conduct of the event,” Eda said.
Parents of Dagupan athletes had been reminded to make sure their children are vaccinated or given the booster shot.
The coaches were tasked to assist their respective athletes at the City Health Office.
