UAAP to represent RP at 24th Universiade in Thailand

FORTY-five athletes and officials from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) will represent the country in the 24th Universiade to be held in Bangkok from August 8 to 18. Staged biennially, the Universiade is considered as the Olympic Games for university athletes, the league said Saturday in a statement. The objective of the Universiade, which is supervised by the International University Sports Federation (FISU),is to provide opportunities for university students from all over the world to compete while promoting sporting values. The Philippine contingent is composed of national team members and top-ranked athletes from UAAP-member schools. Four fencers, 11 taekwondo bets, nine swimmers, 10 shooters and 11 officials will fly to Bangkok on Sunday and join the march for the event’s opening ceremonies. Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will grace the affair. The Philippine delegation is headed by Jose A. Capistrano, Jr, UAAP board member and director of sports marketing and external relations of the Ateneo de Manila University. Filipino athletes will be staying at the Athletes' Village in Thammasat University in Pathum Thani. Thirty-five venues will be used for the 15 events while 44 training venues will be made available to all athletes during the duration of the games. The Universiade serves as a dry-run for the Southeast Asian Games to be held also in Bangkok in December. - GMANews.TV