On Saturday, June 30, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) celebrated Olympic Day at the PhilSports Complex with the theme “Move. Learn. Discover.” Some 500 athletes and guests commemorated not just the staging of the quadrennial event, but also the values and essence of Olympism.
According to the International Olympic Committee, “Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”
You might be wondering what the Olympic games and Olympism have got to do with public-private partnerships (PPPs) or those arrangements entered into between the public and private sectors.
Forming better humans. Ian Adamson, the president of Fédération Internationale de Sport d’Obstacles (the international federation on obstacle sports), recalled the true essence of the Olympics —forming better humans. This is true for PPPs, as well. PPPs are for the people where government and the private sector collaborate for better quality of life of the communities. Olympism and PPPs share the same “true north.”
Move. Learn. Discover. The theme of Olympic Day celebrations all over the world underscores the value that “Olympic Day is much more than just a sports event, it is a day for the world to get active, learn about Olympic values and discover new sports.” All are encouraged to be active, to be educated about the role of sports in the society, and to try new activities.
On Saturday the public was treated to Zumba and Tao Tribe community workouts, listened to the athletes-first inspired message of POC President Ricky Vargas read by POC Chairman Rep. Bambol Tolentino, and tried the newest and fastest mass population sport now in the country, obstacle sports. PPP also calls on us to move with a purpose, to be innovative and to realize the need for partnerships for the public good.
Friendship, respect and excellence. These three values of the Olympics are at the very core of PPPs and the Olympic Day celebration. In a PPP, the parties must collaborate, adhere to and respect obligations under the contract and strive to do more for each other and for the people.
The five Olympic rings. The rings represent the continents of the world and are united by Olympism. For PPPs and in sports, the five stakeholders must be linked, i.e., public proponents, private sector proponents, civil-society organizations, regulatory agencies and us, the beneficiaries. During the fun-filled festivities two days ago, the people moved, learned and discovered… together.
Sports can be the hotbed for “PPPs.” World-class sports facilities and better athletes’ development can be pursued via “PP” Partnerships. Here, PP can mean private-private like the generous support extended by the San Miguel Corp., MVP Sports Foundation and the Association of Basketball Clubs to the POC; public-public like the collaboration between national government agencies, government instrumentalities and the Philippine Sports Commission in the staging of events; and public-private like the partnership between POC and PSC.