Courtesy: The Game
A STRONGER and more inclusive national sports development program is needed to produce more world-class Filipino athletes while giving millions of young Filipinos a positive path away from crime, illegal drugs, and other destructive influences, former 1-Tahanan Party-list Rep. Nat Oducado said.
“Our athletes continue to prove that Filipinos can compete with the very best in the world. What they need now is sustained government support—not only when they are already champions, but while they are still dreaming of becoming one,” Oducado said.
Oducado urged Congress to allot additional budgetary support to sports programs, stressing how Pinoy athletes struggle with limited funding, inadequate facilities, and unequal access to quality coaching and competition in many parts of the country.
“Many promising athletes continue to rely on family sacrifices, private sponsors, and local government assistance to pursue their careers,” said Oducado. “The remarkable rise of Alex Eala should remind us that when young Filipinos receive proper coaching, exposure to international competition, and long-term support, they can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s best.”
Eala has become a symbol of Philippine sporting excellence after making history as the first Filipino to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon, further strengthening her status as the country’s highest-ranked tennis player in history. Her breakthrough has inspired a new generation of young Filipinos to dream beyond traditional sporting boundaries.
“Government investments in sports are investments in our youth. Every basketball court, athletics track, football field, swimming pool, tennis court, and community sports program gives our children a healthier and more productive alternative to gangs, drugs, violence, and juvenile delinquency,” Oducado said.
Numerous studies have shown that organized sports help improve discipline, teamwork, self-confidence, academic performance, and social development among young people while reducing their exposure to risky behavior. Expanding grassroots sports programs can therefore complement government efforts to strengthen public safety and youth development.
“We should make sports accessible regardless of whether a child lives in Metro Manila or in the provinces. Great athletes are born everywhere. Opportunity is not,” Oducado stressed.
Oducado called on the national government to strengthen grassroots sports development by improving community facilities, increasing funding for school-based athletics, expanding coaching and talent identification programs, providing greater financial support for national athletes, and creating more opportunities for Filipino competitors to gain international exposure.
“When a Filipino raises our flag on the world stage, the entire nation celebrates. Let us build a sports development system that produces not just the next Alex Eala, but thousands of young Filipinos whose lives are transformed through sports,” Oducado concluded.
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