Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Tuesday, Aug. 10, lauded the gallant efforts of Filipino athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and encouraged aspiring athletes to follow their footsteps by applying for admission at the newly-established National Academy of Sports (NAS).
“The victories and triumphs of our Olympians prove that the Philippines has lot to offer in the field of sports,” Briones said as she lauded the efforts of Olympic weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, boxing medalists Nesthy Petecio, Eumir Marcial, Carlo Paalam, and the other 17 delegates of the Philippines in the Games.
Following the outstanding feat of Filipino athletes, DepEd underscored the need to nurture young and talented student-athletes. “This is also the reason why the Department wants more learners to be trained at the National Academy of Sports,” Briones, who is also the Chair of NAS Board, said.
Established through Republic Act No. 11470, NAS aims to identify and promote academically competent and athletically talented natural-born Filipino youth from all sectors of the society including indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups.
Application extended
In collaboration with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), NAS is currently conducting its Annual Search for Competent, Exceptional, Notable, and Talented Student-Athletes Scholars (NASCENT SAS), which will determine the first batch of scholars of the institution.
The application for NASCENT SAS for School Year (SY) 2021-2022 has been extended until Saturday, Aug. 14.
Meanwhile, Briones cited the likes of Paalam and Marcial (boxing), Carlos Yulo (gymnastics), Kurt Barbosa (taekwondo), Ernest John Obiena (pole vault), and Cris Nievarez (rowing) were once student-athletes who competed in Palarong Pambansa, the DepEd’s national athletic event.
“We encourage our young athletes to apply for Student-Scholarship at NAS,” Briones said. “This will help them be more exposed in their chosen sports while enhancing their academic performance,” she added.
For more inquiries and proper coordination, interested applicants may contact the NASCENT SAS Virtual Office via http://bit.ly/NASCENTSASVirtualOffice from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.