Visionary wanted

“There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” – Victor Hugo

We all hated school, except when it was our favorite subject (excluding recess, that is). Yet, much of what we learned about the fundamentals of life, we learned in school. Imagine the impact if we could all study what we wanted from the get-go. Imagine if you could study anything about sports that would help your career as an athlete, trainer or coach.

Philippine Sports Commission chair Butch Ramirez likened the current state of Philippine sports to weak structures, using common metaphors.

“The reason we do not have lasting success in sports is that the programs in place do not have a strong foundation, or deep roots,” says Ramirez, concurrently a newly elected vice-president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines. “There is a problem of continuity. We may be lucky to find a good crop of athletes. But when they retire, who will replace them?”

We live in times wherein the status quo is woefully inadequate, and amid the cacophony of political voices dominating the scene, there has never really been any emphasis on long-term development.

That is, until now.

The Philippine Sports Institute (PSI) is gradually gathering steam, and will provide long-term solutions to the inadequacies of the current progams in individual sports. Ramirez sees the PSI as so significant, he has even offered to handle the institute full-time. He has already linked with similar sports institutions and even government agencies in Cuba, the United States, China, Spain, Great Britain and Singapore. As the country’s sports minister – and more importantly, as a teacher – Ramirez has brought back a treasure-trove of information and technical knowledge. And the countries mentioned are more than willing to share.

Granted, we do have sports instructors, but the bulk of them (PE teachers) are general practitioners with a rudimentary understanding of everything. Where does one go to become the best trainer or coach? Where does one go to learn the latest techniques in improving performance?

The training offered will include scientific talent identification, career development for athletes, sports journalism, graduate studies, continuing studies, and accreditation courses for sports practitioners. Gone are the days when recycling athletes into coaches was effective. Education is the key to success in the international arena. Long-term thinking is the way to build permanent sources of skilled talents.

The need for a school for all facets of sports has been of long standing. In this age of running to stay in place, knowledge is a premium. Learning never stops, more so for those in specialized fields like sports and athletic training. There are, for example, probably only a dozen or so sports scientists in the country, probably all of them educated abroad.

Imagine a genuine sports school. In China, every big city has one, run by the government. Houston Rockets center Yao Ming practically grew up in the Shanghai Institute for Sports. Australia has its Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). Is it any wonder that China is now feared and respected at the highest levels of sport, and Australia, despite its small population, has produced record-breakers and multiple Olympic medalists?

There is, however, one major stumbling block to the PSI’s taking off: the lack of funds.

“If only the leadership of Pagcor could see how the funds allocated to the PSC by law would greatly boost our capacity to generate not just great athletes, but teachers and coaches who could inspire more leaders both in an out of sports, they would be in awe of what we can achieve, as I am,” Ramirez continues. “Completing the funding of the PSC is for the country, the future. And if not the government, perhaps some benevolent individuals with the resources can see the pricelessness of this kind of education, and help us.”

Instead of just generating publicity through advertising, and attention through other uses of funds, why not give to the sports community something that will – as a by-product – help your memory live forever, anyway?

So what is the proof that vision, education and long- and medium-term planning work?

Just look at the country’s sports landscape in the past few years. In basketball, the Philippines has been developing parallel programs for future success. The National Basketball Training Center aims to put everyone on the same page in terms of the sport’s fundamentals, and harness young talent before bad habits set in. Prior to that, schools like San Beda College and Ateneo de Manila started harnessing their own junior players, no longer allowing them to just be pirated by other schools after they’ve received solid training. Both schools have even sent their varsity teams to the US to toughen them up. The results are obvious.

In boxing, the lack of long-term planning by professional managers has caused the citizenry so much heartache, more so every Olympic year.

Now, the change is palpable, as its new officers, more than guarding their investment, are putting down a blueprint which will run long after they’ve gone.

All of the abovementioned developments have involved a visionary management group headed by Manny V. Pangilinan, whose educated team may not comprehend all the deep technical matters in each sport, but understands what it takes to succeed, in the near and far future. They also know where to find the wisdom needed to breed success that impacts the future. That is what the Philippine Sports Institute needs to finally take wing, and mold the next generation of leaders in sports. And ironically in the end, that vision will also grant what most people often place first, but what trailblazers often place in low esteem: remembrance.

That is the kind of patience and vision the Philippine Sports Institute needs. That is the last piece of the puzzle.