PSC prepares P500 million for 2013 SEAG
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will build a war chest of P500 million for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games.
PSC chair Richie Garcia yesterday said majority of the amount would cover the early buildup of athletes for the Myanmar games as training goes full swing on the second week of January.
Garcia explained the government sports agency would allocate P400 million coming from the national sports development fund for the 11-nation meet in November next year and raise P100 million more through private sponsorships to augment the budget.
Included in the budget is the P30 million for the actual participation of the country in the games. The bulk of the NSDF comes from the PSC’s monthly share from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
“Since it’s going to be a SEA Games year, we’re going all out to win more medals for the country,” said Garcia.
“We’re looking to start our preparation by the second week of January through the formation of the SEA Games task force. By then, every thing will be in full swing.”
Garcia said the 150 priority athletes identified by the PSC from different sports would be sent to various training destinations in a strong bid to capture more gold medals in the games.
He added coaches and a monitoring team from the government sports agency would monitor the performance and
The Philippines placed sixth overall among 11 countries in 2011 Indonesia with 36 gold, 56 silver and 77 bronze medals.
Now aiming for a finish not lower than fourth overall, Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. and Garcia wanted the gold-medal output doubled in Myanmar, where 32 sports will see action December next year.
Garcia said they would allow athletes who are willing to spend on their own in the SEA Games to further increase the size of the delegation.
He added the PSC would reimburse the expenses of these athletes and hand out bonuses if they bring home medals. /inquirer
