The Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP) will field 12 disciplines in the 21st ASEAN University Games (AUG) to be held in Surabaya, Indonesia, from June 25 to July 6, 2024.
FESSAP president, Edwin C. Fabro, has yet to announce the Philippines’ Head of Delegation and the Philippines’ flagbearer to the AUG.
The FESSAP, which was officially recognized by the ASEAN University Sports Council (AUSC) in June of 2019 after long, healthy talks with the AUSC’s new council in Napoli, Italy in early 2019, has been deep in preparation for its first-ever participation in the 20th AUG history in 2023 in Thailand.
The AUG is a component of the ASEAN University Sports Council (AUSC), which was established in 1980. AUSC is the organizer of the ASEAN University Games.
The FESSAP is the sole organization in the Philippines recognized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), Asian University Basketball Federation (AUBF), Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF), Asia Pacific University Sports Union (APUSU) and most recently, the ASEAN University Sports Council (AUSC) , which had denied recognition of the FESSAP since 2007 even though the organization had already been recognized by the various institutions in Asia and the world.
The FESSAP National Secretariat and the Executive Committee co-chaired by Prof. Robert Milton Calo, the EVP of the FESSAP, are awaiting the collective decision of Fabro, FESSAP Board Chairman Alvin Tai Lian, Atty. Maria Luz Arzaga-Mendoza, FISU Legal Committee member and adviser to the FESSAP President, and Professor Robert Milton Calo, FESSAP Executive Vice President, to name the Philippines’ Head of Delegation and the Philippines’ flag-bearer to the ASEAN University Games.
Several prominent corporations have expressed interest in supporting the Philippine delegation, according to Calo, the FESSAP EVP.
Among them are the Philippine Airlines as the flagship carrier of the Philippine delegation, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, BESTANK Manufacturing, LT Group Inc., OMNI Electrical and Lighting, KELME Sportswear, Healthy Options, Seascape Village, Fronte Motor Parts, Paddock’s Casual Jeans, HENN Athletic Club, Megaworld Corporation, and Fabro Foundation.
The FESSAP is seeking an audience with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to inspire the athletes taking part in the 21st AUG competitions.
The following universities are set to compete in the AUG: Athletics (100-meter, high jump, relay, namely College of Saint Benilde, University of the East, Far Eastern University, Jose Rizal University, University of the Philippines, University of Cebu, San Beda University and National University; Archery for men’s and women’s, namely Tarlac State University and St. Alexius College; Badminton for men’s and women’s, namely Tarlac State University, Bataan Peninsula State University and De La Salle University-Dasmarinas (Cavite); Basketball for Men’s and Women’s, namely Mapua and Bataan Peninsula State University; 3v3 Basketball for men’s and women’s, namely De La Salle University-Dasmarinas (Cavite) and Tarlac State University; Chess for men’s and women’s, namely Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology and Tarlac State University; Karate for men’s and women’s, namely Tarlac State University and Technological University of the Philippines; Lawn Tennis for men’s and women’s, namely Mapua and Perpetual Help; Swimming for men’s and women’s, namely Tarlac State University and Bataan Peninsula State University; Volleyball for men’s and women’s, through Perpetual Help, Beach Volleyball for men’s and women’s, namely Mapua and National University and Wushu for men’s and women’s, namely University of Baguio and University of the Cordilleras.