BAP and FESSAP Joint Cooperation

CEBU CITY – The Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP) will be sending an all-Cebu team revolving around 63rd National Students Championship titlist University of Cebu (UC) and other stars from the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc (CESSAFI) to represent the Philippines in the men’s basketball competitions of the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, P. R. China in August this year.

This was announced by FESSAP President David Ong during a press conference held last May 21st at Hotel Fortuna in Cebu City as he presented the team to Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV, the President of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP).

Aside from David Ong and Senator Trillanes’ joint cooperation, also present at the press conference hosted by BAP Region 7 Director Lorenzo “Chao” Sy were Philippine Delegation Chef de Mission to the Shenzhen Universiade Alvin Tai Lian, FESSAP Executive Vice President Prof. Robert Milton Calo, BAP treasurer Tony Fabico, CESAFI Commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy, UC Athletic Director Atty. Baldomero Estenzo, and Tisha Abundo, FESSAP Vice President who once donned the Philippine colors as part of the women’s volleyball team to the 1967 Tokyo Universiade.

The Philippines, which will be bannered by 6-11 Junmar Fajardo of the University of City Webmasters, is bracketed in Group C with 2009 runner-up Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Japan and New Zealand in the four-group, 24-nation tournament.

 National Head coach is Roehl Gomez, who also powered the UC Webmasters to the CESSAFI title this year, breaking a nine-year reign by the University of the Visayas.

Host Serbia beat Russia during the 2009 Summer Universiade and the United States defeated Israel to claim the bronze medal.

The BAP is affiliated with the FESSAP, the sole local university sports association that is officially recognized by FISU, the organizer of the biennial Summer Universiade.

More than 13,000 athletes, coaches and officials from a record-setting 188 countries will attend the Shenzhen Universiade, which will be held from August 12-23 this year.

The young and booming city of Shenzhen spent 2 billion yuan (rmb), or the equivalent of 324 million U.S. dollars, to build 41 sporting venues for the Summer Universiade.

(Source: Graham C. Lim)