“OUR performance in bringing home 52 gold, 70 silver, and 104 bronze medals in placing fourth overall in the medal standings was a good finish despite the various challenges our national athletes had to face amid the COVID-19 pandemic before competing in Vietnam.”
Ito ang mensahe ni Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez sa lahat hinggil sa naging performance ng Team Philippines sa katatapos na 31st Southeast Asian Games sa Vietnam.
Sa kabila aniya ng mga pinagdaanan ng mga pambansang atleta sa paghahanda para sa biennial meet, lumaban pa rin nang husto ang ating mga pambato bagama’t kinapos ng konti.
“It would have been a very good finish had we converted 50 percent of our silvers (to gold) and bronzes (to silver),” wika ni Ramirez.
Binanggit niya ang pondo ng training programs para maka-develop ng elite athletes ay napakagastos.
“You need money for coaches, both local and foreign, airfare, transportation and hotel for international exposure to season them, plus the logistical support like proper nutrition, sports psychology, and medicine for athletes discovered abroad or locally.”
Batid ni Ramirez, nagsimula bilang commissioner sa PSC noong 1998, naging chairman mula 2005-2008 at chairman ulit 2016 (present), para maalagaan ang top athletes ay nangangailangan ng apat hanggang 12 years para maging world-class.
Ganito ang nangyari kay weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz na wildcard entry sa edad 17 noong 2008 Beijing Olympics, nagwagi ng silver sa 2016 Rio Games, at sa edad 30 ay naiuwi ang kauna-unahang Olympics gold medal sa Tokyo noong nakaraang taon.
Binigyang diin ni Ramirez, ang PSC ay hindi lamang tutok sa aspetong pinansiyal ng national athletes kundi maging sa implementasyon ng grassroots sports program sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa, sa pakikipagtulungan ng Department of Education at local government units.
Binanggit din niya ang suporta ng private partners, Philippine Olympic Committee at National Sports Association sa pagpapaunlad ng mga atleta para sa international play.
Bilang arkitekto ng matagumpay na kampanya ng bansa sa Tokyo at Rio Olympics, 2018 Asian Games at 2019 Philippine SEA Games, nais ni Ramirez bigyang kredito rin ang aniya’y “dedicated board of commissioners through our leadership in guiding and collaborating with our stakeholders.” (VT ROMANO)
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