The 65th edition of Palarong Pambansa is heading north with Ilocos Norte serving as host to thousands of delegates from elementary and high school level set to see action across various events.
With the theme “Nagkakaisang Kapuluan”, the games will run from May 25 to 30 with the Opening Ceremony to be held on May 23 at the Ferdinand E. Marcos Memorial Stadium in Laoag City. The closing rites, meanwhile, will take place on May 31.
The multi-sport annual event will regular sports, exhibition sports, and demonstration sports.
The regular sports are archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball (5×5), basketball (3×3), boxing, chess, dancesport, football, futsal, gymnastics, pencak silat, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, wrestling, and wushu.
Weightlifting will be a demo event while kickboxing, football (secondary girls), and futsal (elementary girls) are the exhibition games.
All 18 regions will participate alongside two special delegations with National Capital Region (NCR) eyeing to extend its reign as the overall champions. In 2024 in Cebu, NCR bagged 98 gold medals, 66 silver, and 74 bronze to reign supreme for the 17th straight edition.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News