HISTORY will be made when Cebu City plays host to the 1st Asia Pacific University Games from Dec. 4 to 8 this year.
The inaugural APUG festivities are being organized by the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines, headed by its president David Ong as Chairman of the Organizing Committee and in cooperation with the Commission on Higher Education chaired by Patricia Licuanan and the University of Cebu as the host university.
Among the members of the APUG OC as Co-Chairman is the University of Cebu’s Attorney Baldomero Estenzo.
According to Ong, concurrently the chair of the APUG Organizing Committee, prominent university athletes from six countries in the Asia and Pacific regions will see action in various sports, including badminton (men and women), table tennis, and men’s basketball.
“We’re so excited and thrilled to bring the inaugural APUG competitions to Cebu City,” said Ong. “It will be historic considering that this will mark the first time that Sugbu will be hosting an international sports event of such magnitude.”
The six countries that have so far accepted the invitation of the FESSAP to send their top university athletes to the 1st Asia Pacific University Games are Malaysia (Universiti Teknologi MARA or UiTM), Japan (Nippon Science Sports University), Korea University Sports Federation, Papua New Guinea (Pupuan Blacks V2) and the Philippines’ University of Cebu and University of San Carlos.
Men’s basketball, which is expected to draw huge crowds in the 1st APUG, will be run by the Basketball Association of the Philippines, headed by its president Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Badminton and Table Tennis will be handled by FESSAP Badminton Club and FESSAP Table Tennis Club in associates with the Table Tennis Association of the Philippine Inc., respectively.
The 1st APUG, which seeks to foster friendship and camaraderie among university athletes from the Asia and Pacific regions by way of sports competition, is supported by Joe Boxer as the official outfitter, Bestank Corporation, H2O Hydro Corporation, Megaworld Corporation, Healthy Options and Fronte Motors.
The 1st APUG opening ceremonies will be held at the University of Cebu gymnasium with badminton, basketball and table tennis in attendance for the opening parade.
Prof. Robert Milton Calo, FESSAP Executive Vice President, will head the APUG Organizing Committee as Executive Secretary with working members are Lorenzo Sy (BAP Regional Director), Felix Tiukinhoy (CESAFI Commissioner), Cecil Sarmiento (Assistant Secretary), Fructuso Raytos, Antonio Quiza, Gil Reglo, Jose Murillo, Domingo Lacuesta and Roderick Robles.