THE Philippine gymnastics team will be provided a training facility and undergo rigid training in preparation for next year’s Special Olympics in the Special Olympics World Games in Santiago, Chile.
The 20-member gymnastics pool will be given a specialized training at the CoLab Performance Gymnastics Facility in Pasig City, thanks to the initiative of Special Olympics Pilipinas and CoLab Project, a youth driven, nonprofit organization founded by the Labrador siblings Ava, Marcus, Aluna, and Alani.
“The goal is to create opportunities where athletes of all abilities can train, grow, and feel included in a supportive environment,” said Ava Labrador.
Part of the program included access to professional coaching, equipment and systematic evaluation, resources that were scarce in the past for special Olympic athletes.
The 2027 edition of the games, scheduled Oct. 16 to 24, will be held for the first time in South America with more than 6,000 athletes from 170 countries including the Philippines waging war in 22 sports disciplines. — Joey Villar
