DEFENDING champions Naggo Head will be seeking a hat-trick of titles when the 31st INSPORTS-Swizzzle Primary School Athletics Championships begins at the National Stadium today.

Start time for the four-day event, which ends on May 21, is 10 a.m. each day.

opening ceremony

At 4 p.m. on Friday, the competition will host its traditional opening ceremony with Seprod's chief operating officer Carl Domville and officials from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association addressing the gathering.

A record 65 schools will be vying for the overall championships title along with the champion boys and girls' categories respectively.

A total of 3,700 athletes will grace the newly laid blue National Stadium track.

Last year Naggo Head won the overall championships title with an overall combined boys and girls scores of 187 points, well ahead of New Providence (128), St Catherine (94).

Fifteen events will be contested on day one, all being heats in the preliminary round.

The participating schools are defending champions Naggo Head, New Providence, St Catherine, Portsmouth, Waterford, Friendship, Spanish Town, Greater Portmore, Angels, St Francis, St Patrick's, Morant Bay, Harbour View, Bridgeport, Excelsior, Rousseau, Southborough, Jericho, Seaview Gardens, Clan Carthy, Lawrence Tavern, St John's, Ensom City, Pembroke Hall, Alpha, Duhaney Park, Cassava River, Holy Family, Simon, Gregory Park, George Headley, Port Henderson, Port Royal, St Peter Claver, Maxfield Park, Balmagie, St Richard's, Ewarton, Belmont Park, Allman Town, Ascot, August Town, Chetolah Park, Craighton, Dupont, Elletson, Golden Spring, Half-Way Tree, Holy Rosary, Hope Valley Experimental. Horizon Park, Independence City, Jack's Hill, Jessie Ripoll, McAuley, Mona Heights, North Street, Mountain View, Rollington Town, St Aloysius and Tarrant.