ATENEO'S varsity teams in all sports will now be known as the Blue Eagles.
All Ateneo teams now known as Blue Eagles
The Katipunan school made the announcement on Thursday, unifying the moniker for all of the athletics teams starting this UAAP Season 84.
"It is a recognition of the fact that each of our student athletes, whatever their sport or year level, represents the mens sana in corpore sano (sound mind in a sound body) ideal: excelling in the classroom and in the sporting arena, hallmarks of well-rounded Ateneo education and formation.," wrote Ateneo president Fr. Bobby Yap, SJ in a memorandum.
The Blue Eagles tag will now cover all of the varsity teams regardless of sport, gender, or age group.
Previously, the name only covers the men's sports most famously for the men's basketball team.
Other sports go by a different name, like in women's basketball and women's volleyball who are called Lady Eagles, while those in the juniors division are called Blue Eaglets.
"By uniting all of Ateneo’s student athletes under one name, we are moving one step forward towards our goal of a more inclusive, gender-equal University community. This is one of the various social and cultural divides we aim to bridge, as we have outlined in our Lux in Domino University Strategic Plan 2021-2030," continued Yap.
"Lastly, by uniting under one name, we will further solidify and strengthen the 'One Ateneo' spirit, bringing together our community not only in sports, but in our shared mission to be a force for good in the world."
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