Phl, China craft deal for athletes training

MANILA, Philippines - After a dismal sixth place in the 26th Southeast Asian Games, sports officials look to take advantage of a renewed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with global powerhouse China to get the athletes better equipped for future international meets.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia and visiting Chinese Sports Minister Liu Peng met yesterday to discuss and work on the implementation of the MOU and pave the way for the training of Phl bets in topnotch training centers all over China beginning next year.

“We’re exploring the idea of sending our athletes and coaches to China, especially our athletes who’d qualify for the Olympics, to get them further trained and developed before the London Games. And the good minister agreed,” said Garcia who hosted Liu a day after Phl ended the SEAG with 36 gold, 56 silvers and 77 bronzes.

“He told us to list down which athletes, how many athletes, what kind of sports, so we’ll know where (in China) to send them,” he said, stressing that this practice will benefit even bets from non-Olympic sports as part of preparations for the next SEA Games and Asian Games.

Another item in the sports pact deals with sports equipment.

“The good minister offered that they will donate some equipment to the Philippines. They asked us to identify what kind of equipment we need,” said Garcia, who was joined by Philippine Olympic Committee president Peping Cojuangco and the PSC board in welcoming the sports minister.

Liu, according to Garcia, likewise allowed Phl to bring nutritionists to China “to look at the food their athletes are getting and maybe we can share the expertise considering the Chinese athletes are about the same size as Filipinos.”

The sports officials will meet again in Beijing in January to further go into the details of implementing the agreement, which was signed during President Aquino’s state visit to China last August. 

“China and the Philippines have a very long history of sports exchange and cooperation since the 1970s and I’m fully confident we’ll have a very successful sports exchange and we can benefit from this new round of cooperation with Filipinos,” Liu said through an interpreter.

Liu also related how important sports is to the Chinese government, saying it is regarded as a way to “enhance people’s physique, improve people’s livelihood.”