Angara said this year’s edition of the country’s biggest youth sporting event marks one of the most extensive expansions in recent years, with new regular sports — including weightlifting, secondary girls’ football, and elementary girls’ futsal — added to the roster.
Demonstration sports such as karate, kickboxing, and soft tennis will also be featured, while Muay Thai and select Paragames events, including sitting volleyball and table tennis, will be showcased as exhibition events.
“Palarong Pambansa continues to evolve alongside the aspirations of our learners,” Angara said, emphasizing that this year’s reforms are designed to create “a fairer and more inclusive” competition environment for student-athletes.
The 66th Palaro, themed “Unlocking the Future Through Sports,” will run from 24 to 31 May, co-hosted by the Agusan del Sur provincial government, the DepEd-Caraga Regional Office, and the Schools Division of Agusan del Sur, in coordination with the Philippine Sports Commission and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Adding to the expanded field is the return of the Negros Island Region as a separate delegation, alongside independent entries from the Philippine Schools Overseas and the National Academy of Sports, widening participation and representation across the board.
DepEd will also enforce updated competition policies, including a modified winner-take-all scoring system for several team sports, continued qualifying standards for athletics, swimming, and archery, and the Home Region Representation Policy.
Athletes from the national training and developmental pools will now be allowed to join the games.
“Through a fairer and more inclusive Palarong Pambansa this year, every young athlete will be given greater opportunities to fully showcase their talent, potential, and excellence,” Angara said.###
