I’m not addressing this message only for PSC Chiairman Dickie Bachmann and the Board.
But rather to all coaches and officials of all National Sports Associations which is aspiring to qualify at this time for Paris Olympics this coming August.
Oh yes, we won the ONLY Olympic gold medal in Tokyo four years ago, the very first in 97 frustrating years for our beloved country but we can still win another one IF we learn from our mistakes.
Last week, you probably learned or read the several medals we won in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in the recent Asian Weightlifting Championships, which is the second to the last Olympic qualifying event for us.
Well, here’s the booboo. We went there and upon landing in freezing snowy weather, my girls performed two days after we landed from sunny 30 degrees to minus 0 degrees.
While three of the six girls we brought won some medals, three of them also got sick, with one not able to even lift a finger due to the long boring flight which takes almost the whole day to reach our destination which includes waiting in transit.
Aspiring Olympic athletes should acclimatize themselves at least a week before they perform in international events. Or its over before it starts.
I made a fatal mistake allowing our group to compete in Europe with two days freezing in the snow.
We can’t put the blame on the Philippine Sports Commission, cause they have more than a thousand athletes under their wings to finance with almost the same annual budget given to the same agency probably more than ten years ago.
I know cause I used six years of my exciting life working as one of the Commissioners.
Aspiring Olympians should really have a separate budget than the ordinary athletes from more than seventy National Sports Associations, some of which I’ve never seen up to now nor even heard of.
Sports in this country must be furnished a bigger budget to compete with the rest of the world. To aspire for the Olympics, Asian Games, or SEA Games needs a bigger budget.
The law which created the Philippine Sports Commission, RA 6847, in 1990, during the term of the late President Cory, simply states 5% of gross income from PAGCOR, not net.
Our records then shows that. 5% and not half of it which is being applied today. I’m planning to follow up a case filed in the Supreme Court to give justice for our grassroots programs like Batang Pinoy and boost up the performance of our aspirants now for the Olympics.
Let us not go to war without the proper ammunition.
In short, I’m really hoping that four of our lifters, who are probable Olympians to Paris will be sent there two weeks or a least a week before the Big Games to make sure they are acclimatized to the weather. 토토사이트
Never in two days as what happened last week. I’ve been in Philippine sports almost more than 50 years now and I apologize to my lifters for sending them to the battle field while frozen in the snow.
Never again. I’m so happy we still won some medals inspite of the odds. Rosegie Ramos, Elreen Ando, and Vanessa Sarno. They braved the storm.
Remember those names. And thanks again to PSC, MVP, Ayalaland, and SM group of companies too for all the help to our Olympic sport.