A new sports summit

In the early days of the administration of Pres. Fidel Ramos, a first of its kind gathering was held in Baguio City. Over 800 sports officials, coaches, athletes, educators, local government officials and other stakeholders spent four days at Teachers Camp. Delegates included Pres. Ramos himself, legislators and media. All were there to attend the first Philippine Sports Summit. The goal: to craft a Covenant for Philippine Sports, an agreement for a unified program to accelerate the growth of sports in the country. Thirty-three agreements were signed, ushering in a new day for Philippine sports.

Or did it?

That grand program was promptly exiled to the dustbin of history, as two more sports summits were subsequently organized soon after. Some of the major participants of the first summit were altogether ignored in the subsequent gatherings. Such is politics in this country. 

Now, more than a quarter of a century after that historic first summit, there is another bold attempt to bring together the nation’s sports community to forge lasting change.

On Oct. 6, the fifth Gemmalyn Crosby Sports Festival will bring together the most influential persons in local sports at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Forum 3, with the aim of forging a new agreement to further the growth of Philippine sports. 

“Over the years, sport has united us from all walks of life. From major international sports tournaments to local competition, barriers are removed with friendship, camaraderie, being the result of shared love of a pastime which brings people together,” says organizer and bodybuilding and fitness expert Gemmalyn Crosby. “We are currently facing challenges in the field of sports in the country, due to lack of awareness, appreciation and understanding from our community, which hinders the development of excellent programs for our potential athletes, especially in school sports and physical education program.”

The summit has four goals. First, to hear from leading experts from outside of sport about how they have adapted to overcome some of the challenges that the sector is facing. Second, provide an opportunity to network with sports leaders, successful personalities in sports and decision makers from across the sector. Third, allow the public to be part of the conversation and lead the way in being part of changing the sport in the country. Lastly, use the interactive panel sessions to discuss and share best practice on how organizations can strive for progress.

The lineup of speakers is an All-Star roster of powerful sports authorities. Philippine Sports Commission chair and career educator Butch Ramirez opens festivities with a talk on “Sports for Equality, Sports for All” at 9 a.m. 

His topic focuses on mass participation for a healthy lifestyle, creating lifelong habits, adopting a healthy and better way of life. It is also about collective enjoyment in sports for varied purposes such as physical-mental fitness, values formation, character building, social integration and peace. Next, athletics legend and coach Elma Muros discusses “Rising Above Poverty through sports.” Sports are increasingly used as a tool to reach international development objectives, like fighting drug addiction and the global obesity epidemic. But sports can also serve a national aim, such as peacefully protesting an unpopular government decision. Through her experience, others may learn more about initiatives using sports to end poverty by providing the basic tools for childhood development. 

Among the other morning speakers are Rizal Technological University (RTU) president Jesus Rodrigo F. Torres on the impact of sports in schools, Philippine Health Insurance Chief of Staff Raul Dominic I. Badilla on obtaining mental and physical health through sports.

In the afternoon, more heavy hitters weigh in, among them Sen. Manny Pacquiao on “Sports for World Recognition and Economic Growth”, a new topic. He will be followed by Rep. Monsour del Rosario who will discuss sports as a key for success. Next is Education Usec. Tonisito Umali talking about the “Road Map in Making a Champion”, elaborating on the significance of school sports and physical education in making athletes successful. Other speakers will share their expertise on various worthwhile subjects such as identifying talent and organizing sports competitions, until the breakout session in the evening.

The true measure of Crosby’s brave new sports summit is the long-term impact it will have on the landscape of Philippine sports. But this is the kind of private-sector initiative that the country needs, and it can’t go wrong.