Davao City sends off 101 athletes, coaches to 12th BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games

Davao City has sent off a delegation of 101 athletes and coaches who will represent the city at the 12th Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games 2026, according to Mindanao Times.

The send-off, organised by the City Sports Development Division (CSDD), was held on Saturday, November 14, at the Davao City Recreation Center. The regional games will take place in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia from November 23 to 27, bringing together athletes from the four BIMP-EAGA member countries.

City Councilor Ragde Ibuyan, vice chair of the Committee on Youth and Sports, read a message of support from Mayor Sebastian Duterte. In it, the mayor thanked the athletes for carrying the pride of Dabawenyos and urged them to uphold respect, discipline, teamwork and sportsmanship. "Whatever the outcome of your competitions," he said, those values should always come first.

Ibuyan also thanked the CSDD coaches and officials, led by Mikey Aportadera, who will travel with and guide the athletes during the competition. He said the committee will keep supporting the players throughout their campaign. "We reminded our players to carry themselves with pride, show sportsmanship, and, above all, to have fun," he said.

The delegation is set to compete in swimming, athletics, archery, karatedo, lawn bowl, pencak silat, badminton, sepak takraw and e-sports, Mindanao Times reported. The report described these as eight sports categories, although nine events were listed.

The previous edition, the 11th BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games, was held in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan from December 1 to 5, 2024.