Failure not an option for NSAs

NATIONAL sports associations, specially those in the priority cluster, have little room for failure now that the government has answered the call for more financial backing.

Commissioner Buddy Andrada said these NSAs, along with the 145 elite athletes from various sports, should do well in the Southeast Asian Games, continental-level meets and Olympic qualifiers for 2016 Rio De Janeiro.

On his last day as acting Philippine Sports Commission chair, Andrada said the government’s move should increase the number of gold medals in the SEA Games next year in Naypidaw, Myanmar and 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

The PSC has been getting between P40 million to P50 million a month from its remittances from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) or at least P500 million every year since the present administration took over.

“They (NSAs) never had it so good as far budget is concerned,” said Andrada, a former tennis chief.

This year alone, Andrada said P400 million have been earmarked for the programs of the 55 NSAs with the 10 focus sports—boxing, taekwondo, athletics, swimming, wushu, archery, wrestling, bowling, weightlifting and billiards—getting a lion’s share of the pie.