The training director of the Philippine Sports Institute is approaching the project with a long-term vision and warned against expecting immediate results.
Marc Edward Velasco said it could take at least two Olympic cycles for athletes under the care of the institute to flourish.
“I don’t expect it to produce good results in just a few months,” said Velasco during yesterday’s announcement of the PSI’s launching on Jan. 16 at Philsports Complex in Pasig City, which will be attended by President Duterte.
“With the PSI, it will be a boost if our athletes perform better in the coming SEA Games or even in the Asian Games. But if you’re a smart person, you don’t bank on short-term objectives. You bank on long-term goals,” said Velasco.
The head of the PSI sees success happening in the 2024 Olympics at the earliest, citing the case of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who pocketed a silver medal in the Rio De Janeiro Games last year.
“Look at Hidilyn, she got her medal after three Olympic cycles,” said Velasco.
Patterned after the Australia Institute of Sport, the PSI, according to PSC Commissioner Charles Maxey, is the solution to the country’s dearth of medals in the Olympics as well as poor performances in the SEA Games and the Asian Games.