Happy with Tokyo 2020 investment, PSC will introduce Olympic playbook

As the Tokyo Olympics winds down in two days, it’s no secret that Team Philippines is already thrilled at the prospects of what the 2024 Paris Olympics could bring.

This early, the Philippine Sports Commission will pave that road going to the French capital by drawing up its own playbook—a comprehensive set of basic requirements with a clear intention of guiding athletes, coaches and private partners in their dealings with the government.

“The PSC will create a playbook explaining the rules and regulations governing our plans going to (2024) Paris and the succeeding Olympics in LA (2028 Los Angeles) and Brisbane (2032),’’ said PSC Chairman William Ramirez during an interview with SportsEye at Radyo Pilipinas 2.

“We will leave this to the incoming (PSC) board of commissioners. If we don’t do this, this agency will again encounter future problems with its partners,’’ added Ramirez, whose term is co-terminus with President Duterte in July next year.

The PSC funds the training, allowances, international exposure and various competitions of national athletes under their respective national sports associations (NSAs) recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee. Both the POC and the 61 NSAs are private entities.

“It (playbook) will be an important blueprint for the coming administration because there are many things we saw that need to be addressed,’’ said Ramirez.

He said the PSC is ready to take the blame on the clamor of athletes and the conflicts within the NSAs, among others, as well as the discord that usually transpires when private sponsors want ownership of successful athletes.

“It is the PSC’s fault, because we are not prepared with clear-cut rules on how the agency should deal with them,’’ Ramirez pointed out.

The PSC playbook, Ramirez emphasized, would serve as quality assurance of the government’s undertaking in amateur sports which they are ready to implement in ensuing meets such as the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games next year.

“For now, we Filipinos should celebrate our success because it was people’s money which was spent in the Olympics for our athletes,’’ said Ramirez.

“We spent P2.7 billion for all our athletes and the NSAs since 2016, and I’m very happy with the return on investment,’’ he added.