PSC: Support for medal hopefuls assured

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia will spare athletes with high medal chances from the drastic financial cut to be imposed on their nonperforming national sports associations (NSAs).

Garcia said the sports-funding agency would set aside a separate budget for the exceptional athletes apart from the annual allocation their NSAs will get next year.

The PSC has earlier announced that NSAs which performed poorly in the recent Southeast Asian Games should expect a 2012 budget slash by at least 50 percent.
“The NSA might not be performing but if their athletes are doing good, we should identify these athletes and support them,” said Garcia.

Several sports failed to achieve their target in the SEA Games held in Indonesia and a handful even went home without a medal of any color, among them aquatics, football, volleyball, gymnastics, badminton, petanque, futsal, canoe-kayak and paragliding.

The Philippines finished sixth overall among 11 competing countries in the biennial meet with a record low output of 36 gold, 56 silver and 77 bronze medals.

“We’re planning to adopt up to three athletes from the NSAs which didn’t perform well and focus on them for the next SEA Games,” said Garcia.

He said NSAs are considered non-performing if they brought a platoon of athletes in the games and just came up with one or no medal at all.

The PSC will review the performance of the 43 NSAs under the Philippine Olympic Committee next month to determine the amount of financial assistance they should receive next year.

Garcia said the non-performing NSAs should start to look for a corporate sponsor to solve their monetary concern.

“The government cannot sustain and maintain these NSAs if they couldn’t show any (medal),” he said.