THE Philippine Sports Institute (PSI) was relaunched on Monday—this time hopefully for keeps—with its proponents expecting to hammer the facility into a genuine development platform that Philippine sports badly needs.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William Ramirez led the inauguration ceremony at the PhilSports Multi-Purpose Arena in Pasig City, stressing the PSI would only be a success if athletes, sports officials and stakeholders commit themselves to sports.
“I challenge the national athletes to commit themselves in rebuilding the landscape of Philippine sports,” Ramirez said in his speech.
Except for Hidilyn Diaz, who ended 20 years of Olympic medal drought by clinching a weightlifting silver medal in Rio de Janeiro last August, Filipino athletes performance continued to spiral downwards, especially in the Southeast Asian Games.
“The PSI will provide the scientific training and preparation for our athletes—so we will no longer lag behind our neighbors,” Ramirez added.
President Duterte skipped the inaugural ceremony because of more onerous commitments and in his place was Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council Leoncio Evasco Jr.
““The marching order from the President is that all our resources should be available for everyone. Adequate support to athletes can be a vehicle to maximize their potentials,” Evasco said.
Philippine Olympic Committee President Jose Cojuangco Jr. acknowledged the landmark project of the PSC as a “game-changer” in the country’s pursuit of its first Olympic gold medal.
“This is a great opportunity for us to move forward. We must thank Chairman Ramirez for this program. This will be a big boost for our athletes,” Cojuangco said.
The PSC was launched at least twice since the government sports agency’s creation in 1990, but was shelved in both occasions because of the absence of a solid foundation.
The PSI is patterned after the Australia and South Korea model. It will maintain its 12 regional training centers. The PSC has allocated a P25 million operational budget for the institute each month.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza