Measuring RP’s Olympic medal chances

Literally dwarfing the President even if she stands on stiletto heels, this guy energetically goes the rounds of implementing the mandate of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) especially now that the PSC is preparing for the Beijing Olympics come August.

According to PSC chairman and chief executive officer William  “Butch” Ramirez, the country will be sending a very small contingent of athletes to the Beijing Olympics in August.

In a recent meeting with President Arroyo, he honestly told the President, “Ma’am we have a lean batch going to Beijing, because you see, our boxers lost in the qualifying rounds held in Kazakstan. However, we have good chances of winning gold in the other events,” adding that, “it is difficult Ma’am to assure  you of gold because the Olympic Games is the highest degree of sports competition in the world – but it is possible –  it is difficult, but possible.”

The small RP contingent seemed to baffle the President, but Ramirez said, unlike past Olympics when even non-winning athletes were included, he honestly told the President that we should put a stop to all this junketing business to save money for the training of potential athletes.

Congress earmarked an annual sports budget of P100 million through the Department of Budget and Management while Pagcor puts in some P2.5 million. However, Ramirez said “it’s kind of confusing, because PSC does not really get the exact amount.''

To closely  monitor  the activities and training of athletes, Ramirez lives with the athletes in their respective quarters. No such flare of renting a condo unit so that he can  push strict discipline in order for the athletes to concentrate on their events. “You see, values development is very vital. We are educating athletes who would give honor and glory to our country,'' he said.

Ramirez recalled that when he was  athletic director at the Ateneo de Davao University, at the same time a business administration and management professor, he did not boast of himself as an athlete. He was a citizen sportsman enjoining all age brackets to practice sports for recreation, to build them into alert, healthy and physically fit citizens.

Ramirez also cited the country's pyramidal structure in sports development, with  the grassroot level as  the base  where potential athletes are identified by the local government units in their conduct of summer sportsfest. The schools also identify potential athletes in their physical education classes. “ Right now, there are 40 national sports associations ready to welcome talents in the field of sports to be trained for world competitions,” Ramirez said.