Post by peterdpaperboy on Mar 28, 2013 9:16:35 GMT 8
PSC taps Brazil to help boost PH football, beach volleyball
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has entered into an agreement for sports cooperation with football giant Brazil to help further improve Philippine football and beach volleyball.
PSC chairman Richie Garcia and Brazil's Ministry of Sports national secretary Toninho Nascimento signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Sports Cooperation in Brazil last March 22.
"The MOU between the PSC and Brazil's Ministry of Sport will open doors to cooperation between both countries in the area of sports," Garcia said.
The MOU will provide the two countries with a framework for sports cooperation through the exchange of expertise in areas such as institutional cooperation; science and technology applied to sports; sports medicine; combating doping; using sports as a tool for social inclusion; and training of sports specialists and practitioners.
A key aspect of the program will be in the form of technical support from Brazil, particularly in the areas of football and beach volleyball, according to the PSC.
Garcia said the initial step will involve assessment and consultations by both sides in order to identify needs and requirements.
"We need to know first what needs to be done so that we can develop a specific project or program in that area. Once we have developed a specific proposal or program, we then proceed to implementation in partnership with our Brazilian counterparts," the PSC chairman said.
"Our collaboration with Brazil will focus in two areas, high performance training and using sports as a tool for social inclusion. We would like to concentrate these efforts at the youth levels and the grassroots,” he added.
He said both Brazil and the Philippines agree that sports is a powerful tool in nation-building and an effective mechanism in addressing social issues such as criminality, drugs, gangs, homelessness and out-of-school youths.
The signing of the agreement is part of the PSC's technical mission to South America.
The Philippine delegation to Brazil is headed by Garcia, and includes PSC executive director Atty. Gillermo Iroy, Philippine Ambassador to Brazil Eva Betita, Department of Foreign Affairs' South America division director Gines Gallaga and Vice Consul Carlyn Monastrial of the Philippine Embassy in Brasilia.
After Brazil, the PSC technical mission will proceed to Buenos Aires, Argentina.