Despite the rains, the 74th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) kicked off with a bang at the Marikina Sports Center on Saturday.Carrying 4,000 color-coded umbrellas, athletes representing the 8 UAAP schools paraded around the sports complex's oval track, greeting those in attendance.
First to march were athletes from the University of the Philippines (UP), followed by National University (NU), and perennial over-all champion University of Sto. Tomas (UST).
Marching next were athletes from the Far Eastern University (FEU), University of the East (UE), Adamson University (AdU), and De La Salle University (DLSU).
The last to parade were representatives of host school Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU).
Former Ateneo standout and retired PBA star Olcen Racela carried the UAAP flame in a torch that travelled from one member school to the other—DLSU, AdU, NU, UE, FEU, UST, and UP—before finally making it to Katipunan and eventually in a giant cauldron at the heart of the Marikina Sports Park.
Racela, clad in Ateneo’s blue and white, was lifted to the 20-foot high cauldron on a conveyor and in cue with Season 74 president Ricky Palou’s official declaration of the games open, the flame danced gracefully with the wind.
“On behalf of the board of directors of UAAP, I declare Season 74 open," said Palou.
The elaborate Olympic style ceremony began with the solemn entry of colors where the cadets of host school Ateneo brought in a 60-feet-by-30 Philippine flag.
Photo by Rem Zamora
