The record-breaking medal haul of Filipino athletes in the Tokyo Olympics should serve as impetus for the creation of a Department of Sports, the Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Party-list’s spokesperson Atty. Migs Nograles said Wednesday.
“The four Olympic medals our athletes won in the Tokyo Olympics prove that the talent and potential are there just waiting to be nurtured and developed. And what better way to do this than to institutionalize a department solely dedicated to fostering sports,” Nograles said.
Nograles is pushing for the creation of the Department of Sports, a cabinet-level agency that will provide leadership in the promotion and development of sports in the country and set the parameters to address the needs of athletes, coaches, trainers, and sports officials. Moreover, as more sports issues progress, as a lawyer that recently passed her first module in the Philippine International Center for Conflict Resolution Inc, Nograles further wants to push for the creation of a Sports Arbitration Council.
The House Committees on Government Reorganization and Youth and Sports Development recently created a technical working group to tackle various proposals for the said department, including House Bill No. 2521 filed by the PBA Partylist.
“The Department of Sports will be responsible for promulgating policies that will help the country improve its performance in international competitions.”
“The Department of Sports will be responsible for promulgating policies that will help the country improve its performance in international competitions, while the Sports Arbitration Council will be an avenue for athletes to bring their issues outside the courts,” Nograles stressed.
“Equally important is its role in finding solutions to the problems besetting Philippine sports including the lack of a comprehensive national sports program, the need to enhance the partnership with various sectors involved, in sports, obsolete training methods, lack of modern and high quality training facilities, equipment, and sports venues,” she added.
The Davaoeña lawyer said the government should sustain the momentum gained in the recent Olympic Games, prioritize sports in the national agenda, and consider it as an integral factor in nation-building.
“The government should sustain the momentum gained in the recent Olympic Games, prioritize sports in the national agenda, and consider it as an integral factor in nation-building.“
“We are always so ready to proclaim ‘Pinoy Pride’ and ‘Proud to be Pinoy’ whenever our athletes bring glory to our country. More than that, even budding athletes must be taken care of prior to their winning any type of competition. It is high time that we give them the adequate support they need and not just recognize and reward them when they have already won,” she said.
Nograles envisions the Department of Sports to be the primary policy-making, planning, coordinating, implementing, and regulating entity of the government in the promotion and development of sports, physical education, and physical fitness in the country. The Sports Arbitration Council on the other hand will help in resolving dispute resolutions among athletes.
“We need a centralized agency that will initiate and promote a nationwide grassroots-based sports development program, which can help widen the scope of the Palarong Pambansa,” she said.
She added the Department of Sports and the creation of the Sports Arbitration Council would also encourage and boost the participation of Filipino athletes in regional and international competitions, including the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, the Olympics, the Paralympics, and the World University Games.
