MANILA, Philippines — US-based Filipino coach Cris Gopez established Fil-Foreign nation with one goal in mind: giving Filipino athletes abroad the recognition they deserve.
Having chapters of the organization in the United States, Dubai, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy and New Zealand, Gopez along with his cousin and PBA star Alex Cabagnot hope to provide opportunities to athletes with Filipino heritage while also showcasing their talents to supporters here in their homeland.
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"I don't think any one has ever done what we're doing today... No one has really taken the time to find the athletes to give them resources," Gopez told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview.
"Alex and I's goal is to work with the Philippine Olympic Committee to really give them the resources to be able to provide them the best athletes," he added.
Among those already benefitting from the program is the Gilas women's team with head coach Patrick Aquino being able to scout some of the best talent available in women's hoops through Gopez and the organization.
"We utilize basketball as a vehicle to navigate the entire organization... We're looking to expose more athletes in different sports like tennis, volleyball, soccer, golf," said Gopez.
Through their ever-growing platform, which surprisingly only began November of last year, Gopez and the rest of Fil-Foreign nation only seek to give pride to the Philippines by providing links and opportunities for some of the best athletes Filipinos can offer.
"I think the players are out there... The goal is to build the confidence with the grassroots to show them that it is possible, and to create a bridge among places around the world," Gopez said.
"Filipinos are everywhere... We're trying to create this platform where we have Filipino-Foreigners and to be able to put them together," he added.
The penultimate achievement that Gopez hopes his organization can provide to Philippine sports is to give a push for that long elusive Olympic gold.
"It'll give a better chance to our country to be able to compete in the Olympics," Gopez said.