OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING – RAMIREZ

ANG NAKAMAMANG­HANG tagumpay ng mga atletang Pinoy na nagbigay sa Filipinas ng overall crown sa katatapos na 30th Southeast Asian Games ay hindi isang milagro na nakamit sa magdamag.

Ang kahanga-hangang gawa ay ‘two years in the making’.

“The program began immediately after the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur where we finished miserably at sixth place with only 24 gold medals to show,” wika ni Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman at Team Philippines Chef de Mission William Ramirez sa 30th SEAG closing ceremonies parade

“The Philippines didn’t improve on finishing sixth in Singapore, and worse, there were four more golds in those 2015 Games,” dagdag ni Ramirez.

Si Ramirez ay nakasambot ng puwesto sa kasaysa­yan ng Philippine sports—at maging sa SEA Games— kasunod ng tagumpay sa 2005 at 2019 SEA Games na kapwa naging hosts ang bansa. Siya ang chef de mission sa parehong edisyon.

“But regardless of whether I am chef de mission or not, my mandate as PSC chairman is to make sure that our athletes are well taken care of—from their nutrition to billeting to the most important ingredient of all—training, preparation and foreign exposure,” aniya.

Sinabi ni Ramires na ang PSC ay hindi nag-alinlangan na ibuhos ang lahat ng resources nito sa mga atleta.

Sa dalawang taon bago ang hosting ng bansa sa 30th SEA Games, ang PSC ay gumastos ng mahigit P2.1 billion para sa paghahanda at foreign exposure—training at competition—ng halos 1,400 miyembro ng national pool ng bawat isa sa 56 national sports associations na nasa Games program.

“The funding translated to P1.4 million spent on each and every athlete who commandeered the SEA Games campaign that resulted to those 385 medals won—149 gold, 117 silver and 119 bronze medals.”

“Each and every athlete’s preparation was meticulously provided for by the PSC. We in the agency knew that beco­ming overall champion is not achieved overnight,” ani Ramirez.

“Sports are now entirely scientific. Luck no longer part of the formula for winning—it’s about ‘chance favoring the prepared mind [and body].” CLYDE MARIANO