Blue Eagle Gym

The Blue Eagle Gym is a gymnasium located in the main campus of the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Philippines.^[2] Unlike most gymnasiums, the basketball court is oriented perpendicular to the orientation of the building.^[3]

Blue Eagle Gym

BEG
Former names	Loyola Center (1949–2000)^[1]
Location	Katipunan Ave., Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines
Coordinates	14°38′07″N 121°04′32″E / 14.63524°N 121.07554°E / 14.63524; 121.07554
Public transit	Katipunan
Owner	Ateneo de Manila University
Operator	Ateneo de Manila University
Capacity	7,500
Opened	December 3, 1949
Tenants
Ateneo Blue Eagles Manila Metrostars (1998–2000) Spikers' Turf (2018–present) Quezon City Capitals (MPBL) (2018–present)

History

The indoor facility was built in 1949, three years before the Ateneo de Manila University moved from its Manila campus to its current main campus in Loyola Heights, Quezon City in 1952. At its inauguration in 1949, it was called the Ateneo de Manila Gymnasium or Ateneo Gym. From late 1960s to mid 1970s, it was officially known as the Loyola Center. It was in the year 2000 that it was renamed the Blue Eagle Gym.^{[4][better source needed]}

According to historical records, the gym was constructed under the direction of Ateneo Rector William F. Masterson, S.J., to be an alternative venue to the Rizal Memorial Coliseum for the National Collegiate Athletic Association games.^[5]

It is frequently a venue for sporting events of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (pre-1978). Ateneo's games, however, were played at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum to prevent any home-court advantage during the school's NCAA years.^{[citation needed]}

It was also a venue for Philippine Basketball Association games in the league's early years.^[5] The Manila Metrostars of the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association also used the Blue Eagle Gym as a temporary home court before moving to the Mail and More Arena in San Andres, Manila.^{[citation needed]}

The Blue Eagle Gym played host to the sepak takraw tournament of the 1991 Southeast Asian Games. It was scheduled to be the venue for women's basketball in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, but since the Basketball Association of the Philippines was suspended by FIBA, the gymnasium was not able to host the event.^{[citation needed]}

The gymnasium is the home of the Ateneo Blue Eagles, Ateneo de Manila University's varsity teams. It was used also as a training venue for the 2015 U23 and SEA Games national women's volleyball teams managed by the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. (LVPI), whose secretary general, Ricky Palou happened to be a former athletic director of the school.^{[citation needed]}

In 2019, the gymnasium had a minor facelift in time for UAAP's Season 82 basketball, around the time that the planning for a major renovation started.^[6][5] The commencement of the actual renovation was announced in September 2023. It will reportedly include the construction of an indoor running track encircling the building, a centralized air conditioning system, and a larger floor space which can accommodate three basketball courts.^{[7][better source needed]}

 

Interior of the Blue Eagle Gym

References

1. Melo, Joachim; Banaag, Joseph (December 14, 2019). "70 years on the hill: The Blue Eagle Gym". The Guidon.
2. Melo, Joachim; Banaag, Joseph (December 14, 2019). "70 years on the hill: The Blue Eagle Gym". The Guidon.
3. Roa, Ana (August 31, 2019). "Battleground of champions". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
4. Andres, Robi (March 19, 2015). "65 years of the Blue Eagle Gym". The Guidon. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
5. Leongson, Randolph B. (August 28, 2019). "Blue Eagle Gym set to get improved lighting on 70th anniversary". Spin.ph. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
6. Lozada, Bong (August 29, 2019). "Blue Eagle Gym set to get brighter as Ateneo gets new backer". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
7. "Blue Eagle Gym undergoes major renovations, briefly relocates athletes". The GUIDON. September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.

External links

•   Media related to Blue Eagle Gym at Wikimedia Commons