LUNA, Apayao – Gov. Elias C. Bulut, Jr. announced that the province is ready for the hosting of this year’s staging of the Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) sports meet scheduled on February 27 to March 3, 2019.
The governor said that preparations for the annual regional sports meet are on their final stages in time for the arrival of the delegates from the participating contingents on February 23, 2019.
He explained that the schedule of the sports competition was moved to the last week of February up to the first week of March because the provincial government consulted weather experts on the forecast of the weather in the province that showed that the weather on the said dates will be fair that time.
“Our delegates and visitors will surely be surprised with what Apayao will have to offer them when they come to the province during the CARAA sports meet. We are ready for our hosting of the delegates and the visitors,” Gov. Bulut stressed.
More than 7,000 athletes, coaches, sports and education officials are expected to visit the province during the CARAA sports meet to add up to the increasing number of visitors frequenting the ecotourist destinations in the different parts of the province.
Host Apayao Eagles will be fielding some 800 athletes and coaches, the Abra Stallions will have a 791-man delegation, Baguio City E-Lions – 830, Benguet Stingers – 850, Ifugao Builders- 786, Kalinga Bulls – 600, Mountain Province MP Braves – 741, Tabuk City Brewers – 715 and technical management and working committees – 455.
The theme of this year’s CARAA sports meet is “One Team, One Vision’ which showcases that the Cordillerans are unified as one team in the attainment of one vision which is sports development.
Bulot explained that CARAA logo depicts an encircled eagle with a wing that has 8 feathers and inside the silhouette circle is the theme of the meet.
According to him, the eagle which is found in Apayao and hovering over some parts of the Cordillera mountains depicts the distinctive biodiversity of the province and the region as a whole.
He added the 8 feathers depict the different athletic associations participating in the 2019 CARAA sports meet and it is being encircled to symbolize unity and oneness of the Cordilleras.
The governor asserted an eagle soars high and symbolizes strength, power and vision, as an athlete that needs to have power, strength, determination and a goal to excel in the different sports discipline.
Further, he emphasized that the green color of the eagle’s head and the words ‘CARAA meet’ denotes green environment while the different colors in the wings represents the diversified culture of the Cordillerans.
The blue color in the theme “2019’ and ‘Apayao’ signifies the peace-loving IApayaos while the yellow color encircling the eagle implies the bright future of athletes in sports.
By Dexter A. See