Sports academy boosts local athletes

More than serving as a sports institute, the National Academy of Sports (NAS) could also boost the campaign of young athletes in major international tournaments.

One of the principal authors of the Republic Act 11470 in Sen. Sonny Angara said with the creation of the sports academy, athletes will now have an institution to lean on that could help them in their quest for glory in the international stage.

One good example is tennis wunderkind Alex Eala, who has been embarking on an impressive — and expensive — training program at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain.

He said the likes of Eala could seek the support of the NAS and help her find not just corporate sponsors, but grassroots-based backers like local government officials as well.

“Usually, athletes are having difficulty looking for possible sponsors and support from mayors, congressmen and governors,” said Angara, who also heads the Senate Committee on Youth and Finance.

“It is one example of the flaws in our system because she (Eala) had to find sponsors with her family. While in other countries, the government itself is the one providing support to talents like her.”

“Hopefully, if our government becomes active in sports, it can widen the resources for outstanding athletes.”

Aside from its mandate of coming up with a world-class training program, Angara emphasized that the sports academy is aimed at developing the holistic growth of the athletes, giving them the academic requirements as it would be managed by the Department of Education.