Philippines, Brazil sign MOU on sports cooperation

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) -- The Philippines and Brazil have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Sports Cooperation, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.

Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Ricardo Garcia and National Secretary of Brazil's Ministry of Sports Toninho Nascimento inked the MOU recently in Brasilia, Brazil, the department said.

"The MOU will provide the Philippines and Brazil with a framework for sports cooperation through the exchange of expertise in areas such as institutional cooperation; science and technology applied to sports; sports medicine; combating doping; using sports as a tool for social inclusion; and training of sports specialists and practitioners," the DFA said.

Brazil and the Philippines both share the view that sports is a powerful tool in nation-building and an effective mechanism in addressing social issues such as criminality, drugs, gangs, homelessness and out of school youths, Garcia said.