Cebu City Niños gymnasts pose for a group photo with Olympian Carlos Yulo during the Batang Pinoy National Championships in Manila. | Photo from CCSC
CEBU CITY, Philippines—- The Cebu City Niños secured the fifth position in the overall medal tally during the recently concluded Batang Pinoy National Championships and Philippine National Games (PNG) held in Manila.
The dual multi-sport meet took place from December 17 to 22, 2023, across various sports venues in Manila.
The final medal count was not available until Wednesday, December 27, 2023, on the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Facebook page.
Despite the successful conclusion, the PSC received numerous complaints from participating local government units (LGUs).
The Iloilo City delegation raised concerns about the purported lack of sleeping beds, unclean comfort rooms, and the absence of essential amenities in their billeting quarters.
Other participants voiced complaints regarding the confusing procedure for the distribution of allowances.
Amidst these hosting issues, Cebu City exceeded its previous medal count from the Batang Pinoy National Championships in 2022, where they secured the 13th overall position in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, with nine gold medals, 12 silvers, and 26 bronzes.
This time, the Niños concluded with an impressive total of 39 gold medals, 43 silvers, and 46 bronzes, securing the fifth overall position.
They trailed behind fourth-placed Quezon City with a 44-35-48 (gold-silver-bronze) tally and Davao City with a 47-50-39 count. Pasig City claimed the second spot with a 57-56-74 medal haul, while perennial overall champion Baguio City retained the top position with an 82-52-59 tally.
Cebu City attributed its success to the achievements of its dancesports athletes, gymnasts, and archers, who contributed significantly to the gold medal count, securing the fifth position overall in the medal standings.
The Cebu City delegation comprised a total of 780 athletes, coaches, and officials for the Batang Pinoy National Championships and PNG, supported by the Cebu City Sports Commission.
In the PNG, Cebu City secured the fifth position with a medal haul of 13 gold, 14 silver, and 17 bronze.
Pasig City led the medal tally with 42-39-47, followed by Mandaluyong City in second place with a 35-42-39 tally.
Baguio City (35-41-49) and Davao City (24-30-22) secured the third and fourth positions, respectively.
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