The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is looking to bring more national and even international sporting events to Ormoc City following the completion of new sports facilities expected to strengthen the city’s hosting capabilities.
Speaking during the Eastern Visayas Sports and Youth Summit on Tuesday, PSC Chairman John Patrick Gregorio said the city’s continuing sports infrastructure development would qualify Ormoc to host major sporting competitions.
Gregorio told Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez and Ormoc Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez that the PSC is eyeing the city as the host of the 2027 Batang Pinoy national championships.
“We have many sports events lined up, and we hope to bring one to Ormoc in the future. For Batang Pinoy, we will provide funding to ensure successful hosting,” Gregorio said.
He said staging major competitions outside Metro Manila would inspire young athletes in the countryside and make high-level sports more accessible.
“You will notice that 80 percent of our best athletes in our national teams are from the provinces. Our goal is to bring opportunities to them instead of requiring athletes to train in Manila,” Gregorio said.
The Eastern Visayas Sports and Youth Summit, held from Aug. 4 to 5, is organized in partnership with the PSC and local government offices. It brings together youth delegates, sports leaders and education officials from across the region to strengthen collaboration and align regional sports development initiatives.
Rep. Gomez said Ormoc is on track to becoming Eastern Visayas’ sports hub through sustained investments in sports infrastructure.
He said a PHP110-million track-and-field facility inside the new Ormoc City Sports Complex in Barangay Juaton is expected to be completed by late next year.
Since 2022, the national and local governments have invested about PHP2 billion in developing the sports complex, which now includes a badminton center, padel courts, a skateboard park, and a convention center.
“We want Ormoc to be the sports epicenter of the region through proper infrastructure. We hope that through this development, we will be able to strengthen the region’s sports program over the next five to six years,” Gomez said in an interview.
The city mayor said the new sports complex complements other locally funded sports facilities, including the Ormoc Fencing and Modern Pentathlon Hall, Ormoc Skate Park, Ormoc Badminton Center, and the Athletes’ Dormitory.
“We’re here to share everything because we want other towns to step up. We’re not sending out athletes without proper training and support,” the mayor said during the summit.
She encouraged local government units to invest in grassroots sports regardless of the facilities currently available in their communities.
“There is no perfect time. We only have now. If the dream is so big, you’ll always think you have to get everything right first before you begin,” Torres-Gomez said.
The mayor added that Ormoc would not have achieved its current level of sports development had the city waited until all facilities were completed before investing in athletes.
The city government recalled that its sports development program began in 2016 by providing free quality athletic shoes to members of the city’s delegation to the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) Meet.
From finishing third overall in 2016, Ormoc has emerged as the EVRAA overall champion for the past seven consecutive years, according to the city’s sports office. (PNA)
