POC overhauls national pool thru athletes profiles

The Philippine Olympic Committee will ask the different national sports associations to make a profile of all their athletes and help determine if they are still worthy of inclusion in the national pool.

Jose Cojuangco, the POC president, said this is the best way to know if there are athletes in the national pool who no longer have room for improvement and should therefore go.

Cojuangco said members of the POC executive committee will help the NSAs make the profile of their athletes. There are more than 800 athletes in the national and training pools.

"Those in the training pool who have shown great improvement will be elevated to the national pool. While those who have shown no improvement at all will have to go," he said.

The POC president said medalists in the Philippine Olympic Festival, a nationwide search for young and fresh talents, will take the place of those who will be removed from the RP pool.

"The Olympic Festival is a rich source of talents to infuse new blood to the national team. Making a profile of all our athletes will help us in streamlining the national pool," Cojuangco said.

The POF was launched last year and will be held on an annual basis.

Athletes in the national and training pools receive monthly allowances and food subsidy and free board and lodging from the Philippine Sports Commission.

And the POC said it’s just trying to make sure that each one of these athletes truly deserve what they get from the government.