NRSCC eyed as ‘center of sports excellence’
LINGAYEN—The provincial government, the local government of Dagupan, and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) are aiming to make the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) a center of sports excellence in Region 1.
PSC Chairman Harry Ang Ping announced that a tripartite agreement will soon be signed by him, Governor Amado Espino Jr., and Dagupan Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr.
Ang Ping made the announcement during the closing ceremonies of the 2009 National Open Invitational Athletic Championships at NRSCC sponsored by the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA).
During the closing ceremonies, Espino accepted the challenge of PATAFA to host the yearly event, one of the qualifying events for track and field athletes to represent the country in international competitions.
Noting that NRSCC has all the facilities needed to host national and international competitions, including dormitories for athletes, Ang Ping said that as a center of excellence for sports, NRSCC will be used as the training venue for Ilocos Region athletes.
This means that athletes who have the potential to compete in international competitions no longer need to go to Manila for further training.
The NRSCC, initially built to serve as the venue for the Palarong Pambansa in 1995 during the administration of then President Fidel V. Ramos, is the only one in Northern Philippines with a rubberized track oval in accordance with international standards.
With a 10,000-seating capacity grandstand, the NRSCC has complete facilities for track and field events, swimming, contact sports such as boxing and taekwondo, basketball, volleyball, lawn tennis, and badminton, among others.
Ang Ping said while the provincial government of Pangasinan and the city government of Dagupan will continue to fund the maintenance of the center of excellence, the PSC will provide stipends to regional athletes who will be trained there.
He bared that while the present policy of the PSC is to provide allowances only to national athletes, it will go beyond that by giving stipends to potential athletes in the regions.
He said he is optimistic that his program will enable more Filipino athletes to win medals in the Southeast Asian Games in Laos, the Asian Games in Guangdong, China; and the 2012 Olympic in London, England.—LM
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