Analysis: NSAs lack commitment, integrity (Continuation)

MANILA, Philippines - All of them have one thing in common -- they brought into their association their tehnical expertise and relied mostly on their personal financial resources to run their associations. Some of them are Manny Pangilinan of basketball, Ricky Vargas of boxing, Go Teng Kok of athletics and Tom Carrasco of triathlon.

Honesty and commitment to the job are the foundation of Taiwan’s sports development program. The Taiwan government, which uses sports to open up to the world, plows its financial resources through the NSAs and, in fact, doesn’t require these NSAs to account for the funds.

Realizing that these NSAs alone cannot undertake the complex program of sports development Taiwanese city councils establish sports ccomplexes that serve as training centers as well as venues for money-making social and cultural activies for the private sector.

Governments in the three regions of Taiwan have established sports schools and colleges which train future Olympians and at the same time improve teaching skills of coaches. Taiwan adopts a policy of self-reliance, training its athletes without the need of sending them abroad. These schools, however, also acccept international coaches to staff their graduate and post-graduate programs.

Their National Olympic Committee plays a very active part in the professional development of their NSA officials and their coaching staffs. The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee conducts no nonsense training programs, the equivalent of a masteral course, capping this with hands-on training with their participation in the organization of international events in their countrry.

Certain members of the private sector are also a part of Taiwan’s sports program. For example, Taiwan’s biggest golf course, Sunrise Golf and Country Club, adopts 10 members of the national training pool by giving them free accommodation at its 5-star hotels and training before and after school for free.

It sends them abroad to compete when they reach 18 and return to their NSA to compete in the Asian Games. The club’s jungolf development council eventually becomes managers of these jungolfers when they turn pro. By the time they start earning in the pro circuit, they get the customary 10 percent manager’s fee that goes back into the training of new jungolfers.

While the Philippine government uses the PAGCOR and PCSO resources for the social fund of the President, the Taiwanese government uses 90 percent of what used to go to the poor to sports. 

In all, the Taiwanese government puts in the equivalent of P37 billion to sports annually. This budget not only helps fund the trainng but also provides for the future of athletes, who get free insurance and medical support and free education while they are in training and eventually are guaranteed jobs after they have retired.

Huge amount. Big effort. The Taiwanese government, its Sports Council, its NOC and the private sector are willing to invest huge amounts through their NSAs because their leaders have the credibility to run their sports programs. It is a character borne out of a commitment to develop their sport all the way to the Olympic Games.

Honesty and commitment are all that NSAs have to show to generate the kind of support they need to train athletes for international competitions and promote their sport on the grassroots level.

(To be continued)