PSC to hire coach, trainer of athletes from provinces

ASIDE FROM keeping athletes in their comfort zones, the Philippine Sports Commission will hire the coach and personal trainer of talents discovered from the provinces.

PSC officials said hiring the personal coach of an athlete identified for the national pool has been a common practice in many countries, including the United States and several European nations.

This concept will coincide with the government sports agency’s regional training centers, where athletes tapped from the countryside will no longer migrate to Metro Manila or Baguio City and train there for long periods of time.

National athletes usually stay at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (Manila), Philsports (Pasig City) and the PSC’s training facility inside the Teacher’s Camp (Baguio).

“Most of the time, keeping the personal coach of an athlete produces positive results as seen in other countries,” said PSC chair Richie Garcia. “You have to take it as a package. It builds the confidence of the athlete and eliminate favoritism in the national team.”

Garcia bared that there’s a tendency for national coaches to play favorites, shutting the door on gifted athletes who possess the potential of winning in international meets.

As for the regional training centers, the PSC chief pointed out that athletes from the provinces can now train near their homes, a setup that favors not only the athletes but the sports-financing agency as well.

The sports-funding government agency has identified Bacolod City (Visayas), Zamboanga City or Davao del Norte (Mindanao), Sta. Cruz, Laguna (Southern Luzon), Lingayen, Pangasinan or Ilocos Norte (Northern Luzon) as the sites of the training centers. /inquirer