Putting emphasis on priority sports

We are told that the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will focus on so-called medal-rich sports as priority sports for the 2012 London Olympics and beyond.

Sometime around 1996-1997, when we were at the PSC, we instructed an internal group to recommend how to prioritize sports that would benefit from increased funding and resources.

After several months of internal studies and consultations with sports stakeholders, the group presented its findings to the PSC Board of Commissioners which then approved the list. Except for one commissioner, I as chairman, and the three other commissioners approved the list which had for its criteria, the following, among others: number of gold medals at stake in international competitions like the Olympics, level of additional expenditure required for facilities; potential for success considering quality of international competition, amenability of the sport for mass participation and popularity of the sport.

To get an idea of public acceptance and awareness of sports, we commissioned the Philippine Survey and Research Center (PSRC) to do a nationwide survey on sports that Filipinos participate in and/or watch.

If my memory serves me right, the PSC identified, in no particular order, the following as priority sports: volleyball, badminton, athletics, swimming, basketball, tenpin bowling, billiards, boxing, shooting, weightlifting and taekwondo.

In preparing the priority list, we consulted the Australian Sports Commission and the Hong Kong Sports Institute. The consensus was that preparing a priority list is such a politically-charged exercise that will require political will to implement. We discussed political pressure coming either from some quarters, especially Congress, which approves funds for sports through the yearly General Appropriations Acts, or those who had access to Congress. Some members of Congress where themselves officers of national sports associations whose sports were being prioritized.

It was also noted that no matter what priority list one submits, or how clear and sound one’s identified criteria were or how consistently these criteria were applied, fault will always be found.

Coming up with transparent criteria (which our sports authorities are obliged to do) for sports prioritization and formulating a plan for elite sports that will lead to gold medal performances in the Asian Games and Olympics are worlds apart and require different types of expertise. Producing the criteria will require a different group of persons and so will producing an overall business plan and a detailed plan per prioritized sport. I can see the production of these documents as the handiwork of some of the best minds that will make up a multi-disciplinary group that will be isolated from all sorts of pressure.

Australia has been going through the sports prioritization exercise over the past many years and has targeted eight sports for both the Olympics and the Paralympics. Canada did the same targeting starting in 2005. Hong Kong (HK) and Singapore also performed this “delicate surgery.” While all of these nations identified priority sports, they also had one thing in common: they followed through the process by coming up with business plans. Those who have prepared or read business plans know what these pieces of paper contain and will agree that such plans are essential.

Next week, we take a look at the experience of HK, Canada and Australia in sports prioritization and the more important job of implementing the business plan for elite sports excellence.

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Our good friend, businessman-entrepreneur, Albert (Bert) Garcia, chairman of the BRAFE golf tournament, reports that BRAFE 3 GOLF was a rousing success. yesterday, 144 golfers trooped to Canlubang Golf and Country Club to take part in the annual fund raising-tournament to honor former De La Salle University–Manila president Br. Rafael Donato FSC. According to Garcia (GS 62, HS 66 and BSBA 70), the tournament raised P500,000 for the Foundation for Sharing a Lasallian Education (FSLE).

Br. Rafe died in a drowning accident in Morong, Bataan on Nov. 2, 2005. Proceeds of the tournament go to the FSLE which assists underprivileged youth to avail of a Lasallian education. Br. Rafe founded the FSLE.

Indicative of how well the annual fund raising is organized is the unveiling by Garcia and his colleagues of the schedule of succeeding BRAFE GOLF tournaments over the next few years, as follows: BRAFE 4 will be hosted by De La Salle Lipa at Malarayat Golf Course on Oct. 5, 2009; BRAFE 5, by De La Salle Bacolod on Oct. 4, 2010 at Marapara and BRAFE 6 returns to Manila on Oct. 3, 2011 as part of the centennial events commemorating 100 years of Christian Brothers presence in the Philippines.