Thursday, January 11, 2007 PSC plots gold route to Olympics By Marian C. Baring Sun.Star Correspondent
IN preparation for its perennial hunt for the first Olympic gold, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is “improving its rules and responsibilities to the competing athletes.”
“We are trying as much as possible to help out the athletes in any way so that we will finally get that Olympic gold,” said PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez.
After improving the living quarters and increasing the monthly stipend for the athletes in the past three years, the PSC now shifts its attention to improve the facilities in the Philippine College of Sports Medicine.
“We will be putting up high performance equipment and provide the necessary medical professionals that would help monitor the athletes physically or mentally,” Ramirez said.
Services such as managers, physiologists, psychologists, physical therapists and other medical needs of training athletes will be made available for them in this program.
Living conditions
Ramirez jumpstarted his overhauling of the athletes’ living conditions when he took office in early 2005 to prepare the national players for the 23rd SEA Games, which the country hosted later that year.
Aside from this, Ramirez also wants to improve the nutritional requirements of the athletes.
“Proper nutrition is vital for energy in training and recovery. If dili maayo pagkadala, it might be detrimental to the athlete’s performance,” Ramirez added.
To address the problem, nutritionists will be placed in cafeterias in Rizal, Ultra, Laguna and Baguio, where athletes’ quarters are located.
Other than this, Ramirez also cited the importance of the concentration that athletes will have during their trainings.
No disturbance
“We recognize the fact that most of these athletes are breadwinners. Aron dili madisturbo ang mga athletes sa ila unyang training, we will provide rice subsidy to their families,” Ramirez added.
The athletes will be sent to China or to other countries to train for the Olympics.
Also, Ramirez is still pushing for the education program for athletes at the Philippine Sports Institute, which was inaugurated last year.
“I want the athletes and even coaches to study. Being an athlete is not a forever thing. I want them to have a career path so that when the time comes when they can’t play anymore, they could look for another job and not resort to odd jobs like becoming tricycle drivers,” Ramirez added.
The RP team will be sending athletes in 12 events to the Beijing Olympics next year. Most of the events will still have qualifying competitions to determine the members who will represent the country.
