THE agency may be operating in a not-so-ideal situation right now because of the coronavirus pandemic but the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is committed to throwing its full support to athletes who have already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics next year and those who are still vying for a spot.
In a recent release, the PSC shared that it has already disbursed at least P350 million for top Olympic bets to date. This, despite mounting fiscal challenges and other limitations brought about by the health crisis that the sports body has to deal with.
So far the Philippines is assured of at least four representatives in the rescheduled Olympics in 2021, namely, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Carlos Yulo and boxers Eumir Felix Marcial and Irish Magno.
A number more are on the road or on the cusp of making it to the quadrennial Games.
“It has been quite a challenge but we hope to keep our commitment to fund and support our athletes who have shown strong determination and chances in winning our first Olympic gold,” said PSC Chairman William Ramirez in a statement.
The PSC has been adversely affected by the ongoing pandemic with a large chunk of its budget for this year being rechanneled to efforts to fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Additional funding it gets from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has also not been up to its usual level of P100 million as gaming activities are still not allowed during this time of the pandemic.
The current fiscal situation has forced the PSC to implement belt-tightening measures, including slashing by half the monthly allowances of national athletes and coaches. It, however, vowed to return the amount to its normal level once funding stabilizes.
As per PSC records, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) got the highest support from the agency with over P20.2 million, followed by the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) with P13 Million and the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) which got P7.8 Million.
These are the three National Sports Associations (NSAs) where Olympic qualifiers Mr. Obiena (PATAFA), Ms. Magno and Mr. Marcial (ABAP) and Mr. Yulo (GAP) belong to.
Currently Japan-based Mr. Yulo is backed with more than P3.8 million for the first half of 2020 to cover his living expenses, gymnastics training, and other miscellaneous expenditures.
Mr. Obiena, who is in Italy, meanwhile, is supported with almost P1.3 million for the first half of 2020.
Mr. Marcial and Ms. Magno, for their part, along with 2019 AIBA World Boxing Champion Nesthy Petecio, Riza Pasuit, Carlo Paalam, James Palicte and Ian Clark Bautista received a cumulative amount of P5.3 million in 2019 and the PSC also allocated a P1.7-million budget for the national pugilists from January to June 2020.
The Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) received P11.2 million, P3.8 million of which was to support the preparation of Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz.
“We are doing what we can for our national athletes. We want them to stay focused on their goals and to stay positive while aspiring for Olympic glory. We want to remind them that PSC is always here to help them achieve success in any way that is possible,” said Mr. Ramirez.
Apart from funding, the PSC is also working to provide the athletes facilities that are safe to train in.
With the country put in a more relaxed quarantine setup recently, the PSC is evaluating the situation if it can already open their facilities, namely, Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, the Philsports Complex in Pasig City and the training center in Baguio City for Tokyo Olympic qualifiers and hopefuls, but under strict health and safety protocols.
Said facilities were used as venues to accommodate persons with COVID-19 cases.
Mr. Ramirez also encouraged different national sports associations (NSAs) to be proactive and find alternative training venues for their athletes so as to get the ball rolling in their preparations.
“Our biggest concern is the health of our athletes which is why we are navigating through this situation thoroughly. We will support whatever plans they have for their athletes,” said Mr. Ramirez of working with the NSAs for the country’s Olympic push. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
