CAPAS, Tarlac -- Triathletes belonging to the Philippine team has lauded the government for building a world-class sports facility at New Clark City which will be utilized during the South East Asian (SEA) Games on November 30 to December 11.
The national athletes trained at the world-class Aquatics Center and Athletics Stadium in preparation for the first New Clark City Triathlon scheduled this coming October.
House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano graced the event and he was accompanied by his sister, Senator Pia Cayetano, who joined the triathletes during the training.
Accompanying them were Bases Conversion and Development Authority President and CEO Vince Dizon, MTD Clark, Inc. President Engineer Patrick Nicholas David, GoClark Sports and Events Director Jumbo Tayag, Robinsons Land Corp. Assistant Marketing Director Kristynne Tan, and national triathletes Nikko Huelgas and John “Rambo” Chicano.
Alan Cayetano said that the 30th South East Asian (SEA) Games is “meant to honor athletes and reignite the passion for sports" in the country.
He stressed that sports is integral in harnessing the mind and soul of the young people.
“After the SEA Games, kung golden age ngayon ng infrastructure sa Build-Build-Build, I think it will also usher in a golden age of sports development,” he said.
Pia Cayetano for her part said her dream is that the athletes would be housed in a facility like a family-run type of residential area where they will be taken care of.
"And within the premises are (the sports) facilities that they have. There is that opportunity with the way this has been planned for that to become a reality,” she said, referring to the New Clark City sports complex envisioned to be a training center for national athletes.
Huelgas expressed his support for the government in building the new sports facilities, which he said, “will cater not only to our national athletes but also to every Filipino who wants to dream to become a national athlete like me.”
“Without these people believing in sports and supporting what we do as national athletes, we won’t be able to deliver gold medals for the country. We, national athletes, are bound to be labeled as national interest. Meaning, if you develop good things, you get to develop good things for the country,” Huelgas said.
The Athletics Stadium and the Aquatics Center are part of Phase 1A of the National Government Administrative Center in New Clark City built by BCDA and its joint venture partner MTD Clark, Inc.
Both facilities meet the standards of international governing bodies, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA).
“We did not build these facilities just for the SEA Games. They were built as part of New Clark City, the country’s new metropolis that will be smart, resilient, and sustainable,” Dizon said. (With Charlene Cayabyab/SunStar Pampanga)