NSAs urged to tap Batang Pinoy talents

A TOTAL of 10,200 medal winners emerged from all four qualifying legs of last  year’s Batang Pinoy Games but top officials of national sports  associations all but ignored them.

To bolster the search for talents from the grassroots, Philippine Olympic Committee head Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. is pushing  for a more active participation of sports associations to discover talents from the Batang Pinoy in anticipation of the completion of the proposed  sports complex in Clark, Pampanga.

“Once the training center is completed, we have to tell the parents  their kids will study and train there,” said Cojuangco yesterday.

The Luzon qualifier of the BP Games is scheduled July 20 to 25 in Malolos,  Bulacan, followed by the Visayas leg in Romblon (Sept. 21 to 26) and Mindanao  in Koronadal City (Oct. 24 to 29) before the national championships in  Cebu City (Nov. 27 to Dec. 2).

“We have to get these talented athletes while they are still young,” said  Cojuangco. “We have to teach them the finer points of their sports early.  It will be difficult to correct their mistakes if they’re already used to it.”

Cojuangco said the POC has formed a committee led by Celia Kiram of pencak silat to monitor and get in touch with the top Batang Pinoy and Palarong Pambansa performers.

“The NSAs should realize the value and service that the Batang Pinoy is  doing. It was created not for the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission), but  for the NSA to find the talents they need,” said Romeo Magat, the POC pointman in the Batang Pinoy program and secretary general of  the lawn tennis association.

Sen. Sonny Angara has filed a bill seeking to establish a modern training center for the national athletes where Batang Pinoy discoveries can be nurtured. Magat said the POC had formally notified eight NSAs to search for talents in the  Batang Pinoy two years ago but none of them replied.