Noli Eala seeks to sustain the Philippine Sports Commission’s programs for the long term following his appointment as new chairman of the government sports agency.
In a statement Thursday, Sept. 1, Eala said he “will carry out the mandates of the PSC to develop and promote sports in the grassroots as a tool towards nation building and unity, and ensure full and enhanced support of our national athletes in their continued quest to bring honor and glory to our country.”
“We will continue with programs that will further strengthen our sports initiatives,” Eala said.
“We will create pathways for all to get involved in sports while ensuring that elite athletes are provided with all they need to be successful.”
Eala also said the PSC will also reach out to the private sector and harness their support for all stakeholders of sports similar to the golden years of the Gintong Alay program under then President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1980s where elite athletes such as the late Lydia de Vega-Mercado were born.
He also vowed the agency will have “a new face and new energy.”
“The PSC, under my watch, will care for sports like no other,” Eala said.
Eala is expected to have his hands full on his first year with the agency with major tournaments lined up in 2023 that include the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
The PSC is riding on the crest on the athletes’ successful participation in the international scene that include winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal courtesy of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and producing world champions such as gymnast Carlos Yulo.