THE Board of Trustees of the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines will hold its annual meeting in January to vote on its new members.

The announcement came from FESSAP Executive Committee Co-Chair Prof. Robert Milton A. Calo, who is the FESSAP Executive Vice President.

The board meeting will be presided over by Edwin C. Fabro, FESSAP President; Alvin Tai Lian, Chairman of the Board, and Vice-Chair Atty. Baldomero C. Estenzo, in the presence of Atty. Maria Luz.

Arzaga-Mendoza, Chairperson of the Legal Committee, and Prof. Calo, who is also the chairman of the Membership Committee.Invitations have been sent to the current members of the FESSAP Board of Trustees, led by four Vice Presidents Felix Tiukinhoy, Col. Ariel Querubin, Dr. Jesus Rodrigo F. Torres, Dr. Gregorio J. Rodis, Treasurer Jeane Monteverde and Corporate Secretary Cecille Sarmiento.

They will be there to welcome the new board members.

To be tackled is FESSAP’s preparation for the Philippines’ participation in the 31st Summer Universiade, which has been rescheduled for July 27 to August 8 this year.

The Summer Universiade had been postponed twice – first from the original date in 2021 and then in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 31st Summer Universiade is also known as the FISU World University Games, which made its debut in 1949.

FESSAP chief Fabro and Prof. Calo said the country will compete in eight disciplines, namely archery, athletics, badminton, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis, lawn tennis, and wushu.

Under consideration are other sports events.

The team leaders of each sport are to report on the developments in their respective fields and the finalization of their student-athletes’ roster by end of January.

Another topic on the agenda is the recognition of newly-registered university members by way of the awarding of a Certificate of Membership.

Their various participation in sports activities initiated by the FESSAP like the Philippine University Basketball League, Philippine University Volleyball League, National Qualifying tournament, National Students Championships, and international competitions such as the multi-sport Summer Universiade, Winter Universiade and the FISU World University Championships have helped in the success of the FESSAP.

As the only national university sports federation in the Philippines that is a regular voting member of the International University Sports Federation since 2009, the FESSAP has sent student-athletes to the biennial Summer Universiade (featuring the world’s most prominent university athletes) and Winter Universiade since 2011.

It first took part in Shenzhen Summer Universiade in the People’s Republic of China in 2011 and won a silver medal via Samuel Thomas Harper Morrison in men’s taekwondo – the first-ever medal produced by the Philippines in Universiade history.

Two years later in Kazan, Russia Federation, Grandmaster Wesley So scored a historic gold-medal finish in men’s chess.

In the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei, Taiwan, the Philippines secured another silver by way of Baguio City’s Jomar Balangui of the University of Baguio in wushu event.

The FESSAP participated in the last Summer Universiade held in Napoli, Italy, and was rewarded a second gold medal courtesy of national athlete Ernest John Obiena of Chiang Kai Shek College and the University of Santo Tomas in the men’s pole vault competition.

In Napoli, the Philippines was entered in athletics, badminton, archery, swimming, taekwondo, and lawn tennis. By Graham C. Lim