Garcia assures non-SEA Games sports of PSC support

SPORTS not included in the Southeast Asian Games next year will not be abandoned by the Philippine Sports Commission.

PSC Chair Richie Garcia yesterday assured the national sports associations not represented in the SEAG in Myanmar (Burma) would still get funding from the government sports agency although most of the financial allocation are reserved for the 28 sports initially penciled for the games in December.

The PSC will earmark P400 million for the training and participation of national athletes to the SEAG next year plus another P100 million, which the agency hopes to solicit from the private sector.

Garcia said the amount makes up the bulk of the National Sports Development Fund for 2013 and the annual budget intended for all 52 sports associations under the Philippine Olympic Committee.

“We encourage excluded NSAs to still train hard despite their absence from the SEA Games. This is a continuing thing and we will make the budget available for these NSAs,” said Garcia.

Myanmar has initially calendared 28 sports.

These are athletics, aquatics, archery, badminton, basketball, billiards and snooker, boxing, canoeing, cycling, football, golf, hockey, judo, karate, rowing, yachting, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, chess, weightlifting, wushu, tennis, bodybuilding, petanque and traditional boat race.

But Garcia said chess may be dropped from the list aside from bowling and dancesports, disciplines considered as gold mines for the Philippines.

Despite the possible non-participation of these sports, Garcia said they have told all NSAs to prepare their annual budget for 2013.

The NSDF is the share of the PSC from the earnings of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.