POC eyes new program for elite athletes

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco will not wait for the sale of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex or the construction of a new training center for the POC to move the elite athletes to a better place to train.

“Hindi ko na sila hihintayin (I will not wait for them),” said Cojuangco.

The sale of the 82-year-old sports complex is expected to generate funds for the Philippine Sports Commission, which in turn can use the money to build a new training center outside Metro Manila.

But Cojuangco said it will take time, and waiting for things to happen will only delay his plans of placing the elite athletes under an intense training program that requires the athletes staying in one place.

The athletes, he said, would be quartered in training centers and given everything they need. They will be monitored 24/7, and every action they take will be in accordance with the specific program every sport requires.

“Even their eating and sleeping habits will be in accordance with the program. It’s not enough for them to train hard. This is how other countries develop their athletes,” said the POC president.

“All their moves will be calculated. That’s what we learned in Brazil during the last Olympics. When it’s time to rest, it’s time to rest – no gadgets, no TV. Nothing but total rest. We will monitor what they eat and how they sleep,” he said.

“We can’t wait to build a new training center,” said Cojuangco, stressing the need to begin the program heading to the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia, 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia and 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Cojuangco said he’s already in talks with some local officials who can provide the athletes a place to train. He said there are at least two provincial governors who are interested in hosting the athletes.

The POC president said these are areas with existing sports venues that only need to be upgraded. He said it’s time to pull the athletes out of the congested and polluted Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila or Philsports Arena in Pasig.

For now, only the elite athletes who will prepare for the major international events that are coming up will be placed under the program.

“My friends in the provinces will help maintain training centers for us. That’s my focus now. I want a new place for our athletes to train. I’ve talked to some of the NSAs already and the martial arts (associations) are willing to stay together.

“If we can find a place for them then they can all stay in one place. We will employ a team to take care of them,” said Cojuangco.