THE FESSAP Board of Trustees held its annual meeting on January 24 at the Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Clubhouse, Plaza Dilao, in Paco, City of Manila.
FESSAP President Edwin C. Fabro presided over the gathering, led by professor Robert Milton A. Calo (Executive Vice President) and Alvin Tai Lian (Chairman of the Board).
They were joined by Atty. Baldomero C. Estenzo (Vice Chairman) of the University of Cebu and Vice Presidents in Dr. Jesus Rodrigo Torres, Felix O. Tiukinhoy Jr. of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc., and Col. Ariel Porfirio O. Querubin (Philippine Federation Bodybuilding).
Also present were Miss Jeane E. Monteverde (Treasurer), Maria Cecilia V. Sarmiento (Corporate Secretary), Joseph A. Sy (Philippine Inter-School Sport Association- PISSA), Allan D. Soria (State Colleges Universities Athletic Association- SCUAA), Melchor Posadas Divina (Mapua University/NCAA), and Sean Elijah Siy (Philippine Wushu Colleges and Clubs Association).
The term of the incumbent FESSAP Board of Trustees was extended through 2027 as the FESSAP, the official governing body of university sports in the country and recognized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), prepares for the organization’s participation in coming international competitions such as the Winter and Summer World University Games in Italy and Germany, respectively.
The FISU Summer World University Games (WUG -Summer), also known as the Summer Universiade, is in Rhine Ruhr, Germany, from July 16 to 27, 2025.
The FESSAP Executive Committee has already submitted to Germany’s World University Games (WUG) Organizing Committee a list of the sports events it intends to participate in with a deadline by the Germany WUG Organizing Committee set last December 16, 2024. These are Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Lawn Tennis, Beach Volleyball, and Volleyball.
Two Gold Medals in WUG
So far, the medal haul of the Philippines under the privately funded FESSAP since its initial participation in the Summer World University Games is six. A pair of gold medals went to Wesley So in men’s chess during the 2013 Kazan Games in the Russian Federation and EJ Obiena in the men’s pole jump during the 2019 Napoli, Italy Games.
Three Silver Medals in WUG
Samuel Thomas Harper Morrison of Far Eastern University grabbed silver in men’s Taekwondo in Shenzhen, China Games 2011. Jomar Balangui from the University of Baguio also romped away with a silver medal in Wushu in the 2017 Taipei Games. The highest was a silver medal finish in women’s volleyball, bannered by the late Tisha Abundo (FESSAP President 2005-2007), in the 1967 Tokyo Universiade. Only three teams took part in the event.
Host Japan got the gold, the Philippines settled for the silver and Hong Kong secured the bronze.
Never before had the Philippines won a gold medal in the Summer World University Games or Universiade before the FESSAP took over in 2011.
During the Board deliberations, Fabro accepted his nomination as the Philippines’ Head of the Delegation (HOD) and the Philippine Flag Bearer during the opening ceremonies for the World University Games in Germany.
In the last biennial WUC event, in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China in 2023, FESSAP Chairman Alvin Tai Lian acted as the Philippine Flagbearer.
The 32nd WUG Head of the Delegations Executive Meeting in Rhine Ruhr, Germany is scheduled from April 6 to 11, 2025.
The gathering is for all the delegates of their respective countries to look at the competition venues, the official Athletes’ Village, the various hotels officially attached to the WUG, and the advance payment of Euro 7,500 for the participation fee.
So far, FESSAP has designated Sarmiento as one of the two delegates to the Delegates Executive Meeting.
The delegates will separately visit the six cities (Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Essen, Mulheim An, Der Ruhr, and Berline) in different competition venues.
Meanwhile, the FESSAP sent a lone athlete in Figure Skating, Charmaine Skye Chua, to the Winter FISU World University Games in Torino, Italy, held from January 13 to 23, 2025.
Accompanying Chua was businessman-sportsman Christian Tan, the FESSAP Honorary Vice President, who was appointed by the FESSAP Executive Committee as the Project Director of the aforesaid Winter Games.