Gregorio wants gymnastics in UAAP, NCAA

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) wants to see gymnastics included in the calendar of sports at the collegiate level in hopes of enhancing the talent pool for international competitions.

PSC chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio said he discussed the matter with members of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

“We talked to the officers and board members of the biggest school tournaments in the country, namely the UAAP and NCAA. We told them: ‘How come you do not have gymnastics in the collegiate level?’” Gregorio said.

“The young athletes who started in the Palarong Pambansa and youth programs had no choice but to transfer to cheerdance. They assured me that starting next year, these major tournaments will introduce gymnastics as part of their program.”

Members schools of the UAAP and the NCAA won’t have to look far for recruits should they introduce gymnastics.

Tournaments such as the Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy hold competitions in the sport.

In fact, Adamson University is in a pole position to make a statement in gymnastics in the UAAP as Eldrew and Yza Yulo, younger siblings of two-time Olympic champion Carlos Yulo, are already enrolled.

Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz has been advocating for the inclusion of weightlifting in the UAAP and the NCAA.

“It’s extremely important. We need to connect the value chain — and for me, that value is defined as the connection from grassroots to high performance,” Gregorio said.

“The missing links are our universities and colleges. That’s where the sports value chain gets cut off.”