Olympic venues may be opened to future PH athletes

The training camp opened by the British government for athletes seeing action in the London Olympics could also host future Filipino athletes.

A top British Embassy official yesterday said Filipino athletes could still train in the modern facilities built for the Olympiad, scheduled July 27 to Aug. 12, under the supervision of top European coaches even after the Summer Games.

British charge d’ affaires Trevor Lewis said the gains of the pregames camp, an unprecedented accommodation offered by the Olympic host country, can be sustained if Philippine sports officials show eagerness to train their athletes in Britain.

Seven Filipino athletes are in the second week of training in the pregames camp, designed to build the confidence of Olympic participants and give them a glimpse of their possible opponents.

“There are existing relationships that can be built,” Lewis told reporters during yesterday’s launch of Solar Sports’ 24/7 coverage of the Olympics.

“(The sports relationship) is interesting but it must come from the initiative of Filipino sports officials,” he added.

Organized and subsidized by the London Olympic Committee of the Olympic Games, the camp was held for the first time in the history of the global event that will feature this time 202 countries, 26 sports and 302 events.

Also present during the affair hosted by Solar Sports, the official broadcaster of the Games, were Solar TV president Wilson Tieng, Solar TV CEO Peter Chanliong and Colin Glen, a top official from the British Embassy.

“London promises to be as exciting as ever,” said Tieng of Solar Sports’ second coverage of the Olympics after the 2008 Beijing Games. “Rivalries will be renewed, records will be broken and Solar will be there.”

Chanliong said they are aiming to show Filipino athletes in action, although the coverage will only focus on them if they figure prominently in the competition.

“It’s really dependent on their success,” said Chanliong. “Filipino viewers, however, will have enough to keep them satisfied. There will be no shortage of shows to watch.”

Solar Sports will air the Olympic competitions 24/7. BTV will televise the basketball games and TALKtv will show daily recaps of the events.