THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) said Baguio City will become one of the sports body’s accredited regional sports training centers following the city’s successful hosting of the 2018 Batang Pinoy national championships on September 17-21.
Commissioner Celia Kiram told Mayor Mauricio Domogan about the decision of the PSC to make the city one of its accredited regional sports training centers because of its suitability as venue for the conduct of high altitude training of the country’s athletes.
Kiram said the identification of Baguio City as one of the PSC’s regional sports training centers was one of the reasons the sports body decided to leave behind Baguio and Benguet over P18 million worth of sports equipment for the implementation of an enhanced sports development program that will upgrade the state of sports in the city.
Aside from the P18 million worth of sports equipment, the PSC also left behind at least 2,500 sleeping mats for Baguio and Benguet, including for the victims of the Itogon landslide and the billeting schools. At least 1,000 sleeping mats will be left for Baguio City, while the remaining mats will be equitably distributed among Benguet, the Benguet State University (BSU), the identified billeting areas, and the victims of the tragic Itogon landslide.
Kiram expressed optimism the units of sports equipment left behind will be used by the local government and the different schools to improve their grassroots development program to discover young athletes who can be trained as future representatives of the city in local, regional, national and international sports competitions.
Domogan directed the City General Services Office and City Sports Development Office to inventory the sports equipment for proper documentation and safekeeping to ensure athletes will benefit from the use of the said equipment in their trainings and upcoming participation in various sports competitions.
He expressed the local government’s gratitude to the PSC for making Baguio City and Benguet as the venue for the 2018 Batang Pinoy national championships, the identification of the city as a regional sports training center and the donation of the multi-million sports equipment that will greatly contribute in efforts to make the city one of the sports development centers in the country.
The local chief executive also expressed the local government’s gratitude to all stakeholders, including the private and public education institutions, the various sports organizations in the city and all those who supported the city’s hosting of the Batang Pinoy national championships because if not for their support, the conduct of the annual national sports competition would not have been successful.
Baguio, for the first time, served as a host to the annual staging of the Batang Pinoy national championships that contributed in its identification as a regional sports center. (PR)