The Filipino athletes are again set to see action in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia with a little more than two months to go.
In terms of magnitude, the SEA Games may be the smallest multi-sports events the country’s national athletes are competing in, compared to the Asian Games and the Olympics.
But it has been a relevant source of pride and glory for Filipinos, especially in this part of the world where some countries are more powerful, economy-wise, than others.
Victories in sports have been providing Overseas Filipino Workers a sense of importance and power, even fleetingly, over the citizens of their host country.
Again, the journey towards that goal will always be difficult for the athletes and their coaches.
The daily training and regimen have bored them to no end but they have always been told to perform at the highest level and deliver the goods.
Unknown to most, it’s always a lonely journey toward every gold or a medal of any color.
The Philippine Sports Commission, the agency tasked by the Filipino people to take care of the athletes’ needs, will again be called upon to deliver everything that it could possibly provide for the athletes and make sure they perform and carry the pride of the tri-colors very well in the international arena.
To those who are not in the know, though, the first line of “offense” is being taken care of by the National Sports Association handling a particular sport.
Karate, sepak takraw, rowing, to name a few, have their own private NSA that provides for the athletes.
For NSAs that really compete and go to international competitions with serious intent to win and deliver, they really go out of their way to get resources to spend for the preparation of their athletes.
They do request liquidation from the PSC, but most of the time, they get only a fraction of their actual expenses.
With the SEA Games in Cambodia in May, the NSAs and the PSC should really find a way now to seek a common means to immediately provide the needs of the athletes, like nutrition, vitamins and supplements, and available training venues—with less bureaucracy—at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and the Philports Arena in Pasig be opened to national athletes regardless of their affiliation.
So how the PSC should make its presence felt more by athletes?
It should come up with liaison officers that would really monitor and regularly keep in touch with the athletes and coaches, keeping tabs on their training, listing down their particular needs, and lessening the government’s usually slow process of approving requests for provisions.
Richard Bachmann may be new at the helm of the PSC, but he can make a difference by really listening to the voice of the athletes and coaches whom he has vowed to serve during his term as chairman.
He may start by closely and regularly communicating with the athletes and coaches who actually do the preparation.