NSAs see hard times ahead

It’s about time the different National Sports Associations (NSAs) started looking for their own sources of additional funding for their respective athletes.

"This is what all the NSAs should do because of the financial difficulties being experienced by the Philippine Sports Commission," said wushu head Francis Chan last Friday.

He added that the PSC being forced to cut the number of national athletes under its payroll, from close to a thousand to only 500, is a sign that the government sports agency is really having a difficult time making both ends meet.

"The NSAs cannot depend on the PSC one hundred percent. We should be resourceful enough and look for other donors or sponsors," said Chan during the SCOOP Awards Night at the Pantalan Restaurant in Manila.

Only a handful NSAs are enjoying year-round support of big private firms like Petron for taekwondo and Revicon for boxing, and generous private individuals like Bert Lina for cycling and Jean Henry Lhuillier for tennis and men’s basketball.

PSC chairman Eric Buhain announced last Friday that only Class A and B athletes, meaning those who‘ve won any medal in the SEA Games, will continue to receive monthly allowances and meal subsidy from the PSC starting March 1.

Almost 500 athletes from the training and developmental will be affected. The PSC said they can only continue training with the national team if their allowances are shouldered by their respective NSAs.

Buhain said it also doesn’t mean the end of the road for them because a marked improvement in their performances could push them back into the elite list of athletes.

"This move works both ways," Buhain explained. "Those who will be cut will strive harder to get back on the list while those who stay will also have to strive harder to remain on the list."