MANILA, Philippines – Student-athletes from across all sports finally get their much-awaited chance to strut their stuff anew as the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), led by host Adamson University, parades Season 85 in full calendar.
A total of 60 events in 21 sports are on deck for UAAP’s full-swing return starting October 1 with the centerpiece men’s basketball event after staging only eight events in Season 84 under a compressed format.
Season 84, hosted by La Salle, marked the UAAP’s return from a two-year lull due to the pandemic.
With only three months in between, UAAP returns to action for a historic second straight season this year with a theme of “Rise as One” to welcome back the rest of its events and join the country’s gradual return to normal at the tailend of the pandemic.
“Rise as one is not just about the UAAP but rather about the articulation of the situation of the country. Having this kind of theme kind of speaks that we’re back, rising as one,” said UAAP president Fr. Aldrin Suan, CM, of Adamson.
“Hopefully, it will signal to the entire Philippine sports community that here we go. We’re not only trying to go back to normal and recover but to elevate into higher level,” he added in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum also graced by UAAP executive director Atty. Rebo Saguisag Tuesday.
As host, Adamson will raise the curtain on October 1 against Santo Tomas at 2 p.m. after the pre-recorded opening ceremony to be aired on Cignal TV at 12:30 p.m. Reigning champion University of the Philippines (UP) then begins its title defense against La Salle at 4 p.m.
Among the sports returning to UAAP fold are Olympic events athletics and swimming, badminton, table tennis, judo, taekwondo, fencing, softball, baseball and lawn tennis as well as the junior competitions as face-to-face classes resume.
The UAAP only held men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s 3x3 hoops, men’s and women’s chess, poomsae and men’s beach volleyball plus the mid-season spectacle cheerdance competition last season.
The Season 85 Cheerdance Competition is set on December 10 as UAAP basketball is expected to reach the Christmas season to give way for the Gilas Pilipinas campaign in the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in November.
“We normally try to avoid going deep into the Christmas season but it’s a small sacrifice for Gilas na aabot tayo around December 17,” said Saguisag as UAAP halts action on November 7-15 for Gilas’ games on November 10-14.
UP’s Carl Tamayo, Ateneo’s Ange Kouame and La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao are among the UAAP standouts expected to be tapped by Gilas for the scheduled games on the road against Saudi Arabia and Jordan.