Venue, budget woes hound national athletes’ training

National athletes may need to find other ways and venues to train as the facilities of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) remains off limits.

PSC commissioner Ramon Fernandez said on Wednesday the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has yet to grant their request to utilize the facilities inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.

Fernandez, also the Team Philippines chef de mission to the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, added that a parallel appeal by the PSC was sent to the Department of Budget and Management, asking for the release of funds earmarked for the SEA Games, among others.

“Without the needed funds and the facilities, the NSAs (national sports associations) may just have to do their own bubble training,’’ said Fernandez.

The target schedule of setting up the bubble training for SEA Games-bound athletes is April 15 and it would need considerable funding to keep it going until the 11-nation sportsfest in Vietnam, in November.

Nearly P700 million has been set aside for international tournaments of Team Philippines this year, including P200 million for the SEA Games and P150 million for the Tokyo Olympics. The PSC is likewise seeking the release of P30 million for the Asean Para Games.