SEN. Christopher “Bong” Go called on sports authorities to protect national athletes from internal disputes, governance problems and financial difficulties within national sports associations (NSAs), saying athletes should not bear the consequences of “sports politics.”
Go made the appeal as chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports during a post-evaluation hearing on the Philippines’ participation in the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
“I thought politics was only in the world of politics, but apparently, there is politics in sports, too,” he said.
“Whatever disagreements, governance issues, financial difficulties or institutional problems may exist among sports organizations, our athletes should never be the ones who suffer,” Go said.
The committee discussed concerns involving the national volleyball program following complaints about delayed allowances and expenses that athletes had to shoulder while preparing for the Nagoya Games.
Go cited accounts raised by Alas Pilipinas men’s team captain Bryan Bagunas and teammate Josh Ybañez, including reports that some national athletes had to borrow money for transportation and pay for their own meals.
During the hearing, Philippine National Volleyball Federation officials acknowledged that allowances for national team members had remained unpaid since July because of funding difficulties and issues involving the federation.
“A national athlete should not have to worry about where to get money for transportation to training. They should not have to borrow money just to train for the country,” Go said.
“When our athletes win, many people are quick to join in the celebration. But while they are struggling during training, no one seems to sympathize with them or even help them pay for an Angkas ride to training,” he said.
He appealed to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the government’s executive agency for sports, to mediate when conflicts among sports organizations threaten to affect athletes.
“Since we are talking about sports, perhaps you can act as a referee sometimes — not to pit them against each other, but to help resolve their disputes so our athletes are not affected,” he said.
Go called for mechanisms to ensure that government assistance continues to reach national athletes even when an NSA faces governance or administrative problems.
“We cannot demand world-class performances from our athletes if we do not provide them with world-class support,” he said.
Go said the Senate inquiry aimed to identify shortcomings in the country’s sports system and find ways to address them.
“Let us stop blaming one another,” he said. “What matters is that we properly support our athletes.”
