LSA athletes assured college support

By Provincial Media Relations Center
November 5, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The provincial government of Leyte assured support to young athletes in the province not only in terms of sports training but further education in the future particularly for scholarship grants for college degrees.

Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla revealed during the recent 2011 Provincial Athletics Meet for Leyte province, that athlete-scholars of the Leyte Sports Academy (LSA) are now being assured of a college education once they graduate from high school.

“These are big universities in Manila who already have expressed their interest to take in our LSA athletes as scholars once they get to college,” Gov. Petilla announced to the crowds during the provincial meet held in Alangalang, Leyte which hosted this year’s provincial sports fete.

The Leyte Sports Academy is a free sports training and education program initiated by the provincial government of Leyte through Gov. Petilla for qualified athletes coming from various public and elementary schools in the province.

From more than 37 athlete-scholars when it opened in 2009, the academy now trains 70 young athletes who are provided free training, accommodation and education at the Leyte Sports Development Center where the academy is also located.

Sports training are in the field of boxing, badminton, swimming and track and field.

Gov. Petilla said that the province is designing the Leyte Sports academy to be a long-term and sustainable program that would continue whoever sits as the provincial governor.

Earlier, communications giant SMART has assured support to the Leyte Sports Academy through their SMART Sports program which provides assistance to grassroots sports in the country.

“Thus, we are trying to tie up with the private sector, the private companies in particular, to support this program so that it can stand on its own and continue to train deserving athletes in the province,” Gov. Petilla declared.

He added that this likewise include tie-ups with universities which can accommodate these athletes for college education.

The governor enthused that the athletes’ performance and the program itself have both caught attention that the present scholars of the academy would have college scholarships once they finish secondary school.