Sports execs bat for training center

MANILA, Philippines – A training center for the national athletes ranks highest in the Christmas wish list of top sports officials.

“If we want to be a nation that can compete in the whole world, kailangan natin ng (we need) a training center,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Peping Cojuangco.

“We are training our athletes in conditions that differ from our rivals. We don’t have a training center. It’s unfortunate because our country boasts of a lot of talented athletes but we can’t make the most out of it,” added Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia.

The two execs have long been pushing for a centralized hub with better facilities than the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and Philsports Complex and not as polluted as the current training locations.

The PSC and POC have been eyeing 50-hectare lot in Clark for the proposed training center. But talks have hit a snag as Clark International Airport Corporation, the lot’s owner, had asked for a P150,000-per-hectare rental fee that sports officials were not in agreement with. Garcia said the PSC is set to present a counter-proposal to ClAC.

“I think it’s about time. Maybe not under my watch or under my term, we can proceed with this project to build a training center outside of Metro Manila because that will give us equal conditions, equal training facilities as the others in Southeast Asia,” said Garcia.

“Ang kabutihan sa lugar na iyon, sariwang-sariwa ang hangin, malayo sa istorbo at pwede tayong magtayo ng kailangan nating facilities (The site offers fresh air and is situated away from distractions. We can construct facilities we need there),” said Cojuangco.

“Sana iyun ang mairegalo sa amin for 2016 para hindi na tayo ang nag-iisang bansa sa Southeast Asia na walang training center (I hope to get this a present for 2016 so that we won’t be the lone Southeast Asian country without our own training center anymore),” the POC chief added.