HAPPY New Year!
Every start of the year allows us to prepare for greater things we aim to achieve in the next 12 months. 2019 has been a very fruitful one for Philippine sports with all its triumphs and merits.
As we usher in a new decade with the Year of the Rat, may Philippine sports take on the characteristics of the rat in our continuing pursuit to reclaim sports glory. The rat is the first among the Chinese zodiac animals. In terms of yin and yang, the rat is yang and represents the beginning of a new day.
Currently, we have already positioned ourselves as the top Southeast Asian country in sports. The new SEA Games feat was perhaps a foreshadowing of the modern-day awaiting us in our sports participation. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics beckons, and we have another chance to show the world how far we have come in our resurgence.
In sustaining our renaissance, we look forward to February 27-28, 2020, when the Philippine Sports Commission hosts the National Sports Summit 2020 at the PICC in Pasay City. This summit will help significantly in getting everybody involved in setting a direction for our sports programs as a nation. Like an iceberg, what we are seeing are just the visible accolades of triumph, medals, and recognition. We still need to work on the non-visible components of our programs, which involve the LGUs, private sports patrons, etc. It is with great hope that the National Sports Summit 2020 becomes the start of strengthening the foundations of Philippine sports through the involvement and collaborations we can forge in the summit.
In the buildup for the outcome of this summit, can environmental sustainability become an area of focus? It is good that we are again a force to reckon within the region. If we include environmental sustainability in our sports agenda, we can become an even better and bigger force to contend. As Nelson Mandela said, “Sports has the power to change the world.” Perhaps enacting policies for the environment through our sports programs can make us true champions in 2020. We can start with the coastal areas we have since we are an archipelago. Sports programs in support of environmental sustainability may be essential.