Filipino athletes get boost with Ayala Center for Excellence in Sports

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino athletes received an assist from the Ayala Corporation as they created the Ayala Center for Excellence in Sports.

The project aims to deploy the resources of the Ayala Group of Companies to support up-and-coming sports figures in the country.

In its first stages, the Center includes the redevelopment of the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite into a training center for national athletes held in partnership with Ayala Land.

Support will also be up for grabs through the Atletang Ayala program, which will help aspiring Olympians for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The programs are expected to be launched in the first quarter of the year.

The Center's program director, Jan Bengzon, said that the Ayala Group has been able to reap the benefits brought to its companies by sport and wants to give back.

"The Ayala Group has long seen the impact that sports can have on many facets of its businesses. In fact, a number of our senior executives have represented the country on national teams in different sports, including Ayala Land’s Chris Macasaet in men’s volleyball and AC Energy’s Jaime Urquijo in rugby," said Bengzon.

"We believe strongly that Filipinos deserve better access to world-class sports facilities across the country and will continue to work to find ways to support the next generation of Filipino athlete to achieve their full potential." he added.