Leyte’s Sports Academy targets to start this March

By Provincial Media Relations Center
February 19, 2010

TACLOBAN CITY  –  Leyte province’s comprehensive sports and education program to be dubbed as Sports Academy, for potential athletes will be underway in March with recruitment and identification of possible sports scholars already spread all over the province.

The province’s core team for the sports program recently met with barangay captains from Leyte’s third district to coordinate the recruitment process as well as with the rest of the barangay chairmen in the province for the same purpose.

According to 3rd District Board Rowil Batan recruitment has been intensified with target date for start of the free sports training already slated this March 16.

“We have been all over the barangays in the whole province and coordinating with the chairmen on possible recruits who could avail of this program all for free,” Board Member Batan said.

It was learned there are 60 available slots for the said scholarships where the potential athletes can get free training in various sports disciplines such as track and field, swimming, boxing and taekwondo, free board and lodging and free education.

The Sports Academy is prioritizing recruits who are out of school youths and cannot afford to get themselves to schools. As a requirement the potential sports scholar must be between eight to fourteen years old and stands 5’6’ in height.

The pool of athletes who would be recruited under this program would be housed in one place where they would attend sports trainings under professional trainers and coaches and at the same time complete their school studies supervised by the Department of Education. A trainer from the United States is set to arrive mid March to jumpstart a sports clinic.

The vacated rooms and spaces at the former Leyte Colleges adjacent to the Leyte Sports Development Center have been converted into a dormitory for these athlete-scholars.

Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla said to improve the province’s, and subsequently the region’s, standing in national sports competition, there is a need to implement a good recruitment program that would provide championship caliber training for athletes with potentials.

“This would be very expensive but if it’s the only way to do it, then we have to pursue this option,” Gov. Petilla said.