Angara bats for sports academy

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Edgardo Angara has renewed his call for the establishment of a national sports university to support the national athletes following the recent bilateral sports agreement with world power China.

Angara reiterated his call after the Philippine Sports Commission announced last Monday the drafting of a memorandum of understanding between the Philippines and China to fast track the training of our athletes in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.

According to the agreement, the Philippines can send local athletes to train in sports centers scattered throughout China.

“To fully develop Philippine sports, we must be creative and pro-active in our approaches. If we pay more attention and pour in more resources to sports development, we will excel in many other fields,” he said.

To this end, Angara authored Senate Bill No. 48, “An Act Creating the Philippine Sports University, and for Other Purposes” early in the 15th Congress.

The bill, also known as the Philippine Sports University Act of 2010, seeks to establish an institution geared specifically to cater to the needs of our country’s athletes. The University will solely train and produce world-class athletes and leaders to shape the future of Philippine sports.

“Skill, endurance and competition are innate to Filipino athletes, therefore we must nurture their talent and create opportunities for growth. By integrating the values of sportsmanship and academic excellence into their educational curriculum, we will be able to produce outstanding sport leaders, globally competitive athletes and elite coaches,” said Angara.