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| Team Philippines at the parade of athletes during the opening ceremonies of Chengdu World Games 2025 (Image Source: JournalNews/Philippine Sports Commission) |
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Patrick Gregorio is keen on building regional training centers to further strengthen grassroots development and promote inclusivity even in remote provinces. Traveling in his first international mission as the sports chief, Gregorio arrived in the ultramodern city of Chengdu, China last August 6, 2025 to attend the opening ceremonies of the 2025 World Games at the Tianfu International Convention Center and give his word of support to the national teams here. And what a perfect time to lay out his grand plan of putting up training hubs in key locations in the Philippines with the presence of Filipino athletes who joined this significant multi-sports event for non-Olympic disciplines.
Gregorio, a former Chef de Mission at the 2022 World Games held in Birmingham, Alabama where karatedo Junna Tsukii won gold in women’s kumite 50kg, discussed his next big project for the sports agency after meeting with Team Philippines Chef de Mission Stephen Arapoc. He stated, “We must develop these centers to give young athletes an equal chance of honing their talents and avoid them being taken away from their families at a very young age. There is already a directive from the Office of the President to put up regional training centers. It is now all about creating a framework which will work for both the PSC and the stakeholders.” With the sports agency’s recent initiative of opening the track ovals gaining positive feedback from the public, Gregorio said it is high time to build training hubs in several strategic locations to cover the entire country. He mentioned Laoag City in Ilocos Norte, Clark in Pampanga, Tayabas in Quezon Province, Ormoc City in Leyte, Bacolod City/Negros Occidental, and urbanized areas in Mindanao like Bukidnon, Zamboanga City, and General Santos City as possible hubs.
Also being planned to become a water sports training center is Siargao, one of the popular surfing destinations in the south. These locations, he said, must also adopt a sport specific to the needs and the assets available. Gregorio explained, “Aside from the help of the local government and the schools, these provinces must cater a sport they are known for. For example, Zamboanga has plenty of weightlifters because of Hidilyn Diaz, so the city should serve as the key training center for that sport, much like muay thai in Baguio City, or boxing in Cagayan de Oro and GenSan, or football in Bacolod.” To jumpstart this plan, the PSC recently signef a memorandum of agreement with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) to make New Clark City a regional sports hub. It would align well with the goals of the agency with the government-run National Academy of Sports already functioning inside the NCC.
