DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/14 Sept) – The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will employ proper “sports science” to support young Filipino talents and produce world-class athletes, an official said.
“For quite a long time, there’s no science in Philippine sports…If (Manny) Pacquiao is not able to receive physiologist, psychologist, good nutritionist, Pacquiao could have been a different Pacquiao,” PSC chair Butch Ramirez told reporters Monday.
Ramirez added the PSC will hire more physiologists, nutritionists, and psychologists to improve the performance of athletes who will be competing in national and international games.
PSC commissioner Charles Raymond Maxey said they will try to assess the performance of their predecessors to address better the complaints regarding the handling of athletes.
“Through Philippine Sports Institute, we will monitor the nutrition of the athletes. We will have sports medicine,” he said. “How can you expect the athletes to perform well if you give this kind of food and facilities?”
Ramirez added that PSI will be operational by October 1 to monitor how the trainees are performing, especially those who are in the grassroots.
The PSC will fund the PSI with P25 million to start its operations, he said.
Ramirez added the PSI will coordinate with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Education, and local government units to tap the communities and scout for potential talents.
“There was no grassroots to speak of, because when we speak of grassroots, (it should be) the roots of the tree, and there is no roots to speak of,” he said.
Coordinators will be assigned to each region to collaborate with the local government units.
Still ’50-50’
Maxey said Davao City’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games was still “50-50” for lack of sports facilities but Manila will be the next option.
He added they are not certain if the construction of the 20-hectare sports complex at the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao in Mintal District will be completed in time for the SEA Games.
He said that they are considering Davao Del Norte, which has a world-class sports complex but lacks hotels for the delegates and other guests. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
