Search for more Manila Olympians begins
MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Sports Council (MASCO) has set his sights on producing more Olympians from the country’s capital, stressing that his dream is to see Batang Maynila shine on the world stage.
“That’s my dream, but reality is very clear as MASCO, with the support of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, is buckled up to work to make Manila again the top sports city in the country,” MASCO Chief Dale Evangelista said in the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports, Inc. (TOPS) “Usapang Sports” forum Thursday at the PSC Conference Room in Manila.
He cited gymnast Carlos Yulo, born and raised in Malate, as inspiration.
“The last Filipino so far with a double gold medal in the Olympics is a pure Manileno,” he added.
Since assuming his post, Evangelista has laid out a comprehensive program to strengthen athletes’ skills from grassroots to elite level, ensuring continuity in both training and education. His initiatives include launching sports programs in barangays, meeting with public and private school officials, and coordinating with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) under Chairman Pato Gregorio for access to national training facilities.
“In Manila, we have existing sports facilities. There is the Dapitan Sports Center and the Tondo Sports Complex. All of them are under repair and maintenance, but Chairman Gregorio’s opening of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex facility is a big deal for Batang Maynila,” Evangelista noted.
“Under Yorme Isko, we can restore Manila as a sports center in the country. We can do it and that is what we will do.”
Evangelista added that MASCO is focused on challenging Pasig City’s dominance in the upcoming Batang Pinoy national youth games from October 24 to November 1 in General Santos City. Manila will compete in 15 of the 24 sports.
“Of course we want to dominate everything, but right now we have a big fight in Batang Pinoy in athletics, aquatics, boxing, gymnastics, karate, weightlifting, chess and taekwondo,” he said.
Helping in the aquatics program is his brother, veteran swimming coach and event organizer Darren Evangelista, who announced that the Yorme Swimming Cup will kick off on September 27-28 at the Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Center.
“So far, 40 teams have registered and we expect over 700 swimmers,” Darren said. “Our partners here are of course Right Med and Balay Royale Spa. Aside from this, we also have tournaments in running, weightlifting and golf.”
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