Palace: Gov't doing best to strengthen bid in int'l sports

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang said yesterday that the government is doing its best to strengthen the country’s bid in international sports competition despite limited resources.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the administration is looking for possible measures to strengthen the country’s bid in various international sports competitions, especially the Olympics.

She said the government would provide sufficient support and hone the innate skills of Filipino athletes in their respective sports.

Valte said President Aquino had directed the concerned sports officials to identify the sporting events where Filipino athletes could undeniably excel.

“What the President is saying is given our limited resources, we have to identify the fields where we are strong and have better chances of winning and train the athletes (in those areas),” Valte said.

“By doing that, we will get to allocate the limited resources to support our athletes in those areas where we can excel,” Valte said.

She also wished the best of luck to the Filipino athletes who would be competing in their respective sports in the ongoing 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

“Good luck ... a lot of people are watching... there’s a collective groan from the country when our weightlifter did not qualify,” Valte said, adding it was a disappointment but there would be other opportunities.

Filipina weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz pulled a 97-kg record during the snatch event of the women’s 58-kg weightlifting category but struggled to clear the 118-kg target. 

There are 11 Filipino athletes participating in the 2012 London Summer Olympics in various sports that include weightlifting, swimming, shooting, cycling, boxing, athletics and archery.