GAB chair: Govt should focus on 'strong' sports

MANILA, Philippines – The country will always have a hard time pursuing an Olympic gold medal unless the government changes its priorities and directs its focus on sports where Filipinos are good at, a former Olympian said. Games and Amusement Board chair Eric Buhain said allotment of funds should be concentrated on sports that have better chances of bringing home an Olympic gold. According to Buhain, a former Olympic swimmer, the government spends P700 million for sports development—P200 million from the general appropriation and P500 million from the five percent allotment provided by Philippine Amusement Gaming Corp. The amount is divided equally among 38 different sports. Buhain said the setup is “unfair" because equal financial importance is given to both athletes who have a strong chance at an Olympic gold and to those who have no shot at all. The Philippines has never won the Olympic gold since it joined the quadrennial games in 1924. “I believed that for us to win our first Olympic gold medal we have to focus and concentrate our resources on at least 10 sports. [This way, we can] develop well-trained, well-experienced and well-exposed athletes…" Buhain, who also served as Philippine Sports Commission chair, explained during the weekly Kapihan ng Bayan Forum Monday. The sports that should be given more attention and priority, Buhain added, are diving, boxing, taekwondo, archery, judo and women’s weightlifting. The Philippines has a representative in all sports mentioned except in judo. The GAB chair explained sports that do not require height—unlike basketball and swimming—should be given more importance. Buhain was a two-time Olympic swimmer, participating in the 1988 and 1992 Games. - GMANews.TV