CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

i. Introduction

The Olympic Games or simply The Games is an international sports festival. The

Games originated as a way for the ancient Greeks to salute their gods, but the modern Games

salute the athletic talents of citizens of all nations. It has become the pride of nations to

participate and win in the events and the Games have been the penultimate standard of a nations

caliber in a sport. The Olympic Games consist of both summer and winter events. The Summer

Games are scheduled every four years, while the Winter Games take place two years after the

Summer games, also in four-year intervals. Standard events in the Summer Games include

basketball, boxing, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, track and field, and many other sports.

Winter Game highlights include ice hockey, figure skating, skiing, and bobsledding. The

Paralympics established by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is a branch of the

Olympic games that involve athletes of various disabilities and runs parallel to the Olympic

Games time tables.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has laid the groundwork for the

participating nations and imparts a mission they set out to do: celebrate the athletes of all

nations through fair competition among the best from around the world. (IOC,2015) Recent

advances in sport coverage has garnered the Olympics many viewers around the world,

numbering in the millions. With over 13,00 athletes in 33 different sports in nearly 400 events,

The Games have grown so much that nearly every nation is represented and had its own share

of controversies, boycotts, etc. The Philippines participation in The Games is well celebrated

through its history. With 10 medals under its belt, Philippine athletes receive plenty of

motivation and support from their compatriots, but can also find inspiration in the medals won

by the Philippines. The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) was established to further
strengthen the Philippine Olympic scene and to improve its standing in the world rankings,

which currently sits at 101st. The POC aims to impart a message as stated in its Preamble:

We, undertake, in accordance with our mission and role at national level, to

participate in actions to promote peace and to promote women in sport. We also

undertake to support and encourage the promotion of sports ethics, to fight against

doping and to demonstrate a responsible concern for environmental issues.

(Philippine Olympic Committee, 2015)

 1.1 Background and Nature of the Project

Scientific research has concluded that it takes a minimum of 10 years and 10,000 hours

of training for a talented athlete to reach elite levels. For athlete and coach, this translates into

slightly more than 3 hours of training or competition daily over 10 years.(MacNoughton,2012)

Orienteering is a late specialization sport and the international elite typically achieve their best

results only after 10 15 years of training and competition Thus, athlete development is not

static. It responds and reacts to scientific and sport specific innovations and is subject to

continuous research in all aspects. As an evolving vehicle for change, it reflects all emerging

facets of physical education, sport, community recreation, and life-long physical activity to

ensure systematic and logical delivery of programs to all ages.

Athlete development promotes ongoing education to athlete and recreation

administrators, coaches, sport scientists, parents, and educators about the interlocking

relationship between physical education, community recreation, life-long physical activity, and

high-performance sport. Sports can be classified as either early or late specialization. Early

specialization sports include artistic and acrobatic sports such as gymnastics, diving, and figure

skating. These differ from late specialization sports in that very complex skills are learned

before maturation, since they cannot be fully mastered if taught after maturation.

(MacNoughton,2012)

Physical activity is essential for healthy citizen development. Among its other benefits,

physical activity enhances development of brain function, coordination, social skills, gross

motor skills, emotional health, leadership, and imagination. Helps people build confidence and

positive self-esteem. It helps build strong bones and muscles, improves flexibility, develops

good posture and balance, improves fitness, reduces stress, and improves sleep, promotes
healthy weight, helps people learn to move skillfully and to enjoy being active. Physical

activity should be a routine part of the daily life, and not something that is enforced or required.

Organized physical activity and active play are particularly important for the healthy

development of people with a disability, if they are to acquire habits of lifelong activity and

have positive outlook in life. A specific and well-planned training, competition and recovery

regime will ensure optimum development throughout an athletes career. Ultimately success

comes from training and performing well over the long-term rather than winning in the short

term. There is no short cut to success in athletic preparation. Rushing competition will always

result in shortcomings in physical, technical, tactical and mental abilities.

(MacNoughton,2012) This long-term athlete development mainly focuses on five different

stages in an athletes career.

Athlete development in the Philippines is growing, with various training programs such

as the Gilas Pilipinas Program and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Training

Program, the ground work has been laid for future organizations to improve upon or add to the

existing programs the country has for athletic development. The Philippine Sports Commission

(PSC) challenges the Philippines' Local Government Units (LGUs) to produce worlds class

athletes and champions:

The challenge is to find hidden gems and develop them into world-class

athletes,

-(Kiram,2017)
 1.2 Statement of the Problem

Philippine sports is a mess (Coseteng, 2013). Before the Philippines recent medalist

Hidilyn Diaz bagging silver in the womens division of weightlifting during the last Olympic

Games at Rio de Janiero in Brazil, the Philippines had a podium finish drought for 20 years with

Mansueto Onyok Velasco winning the silver medal in boxing in Atlanta in the United States

(US) being the last.

Although the Philippines boasts a large population pool to grow and culture pedigree

athletes, The Philippines performance in the games seem paltry and poor in comparison to its

neighboring countries. In the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, the Philippines had 20

competitors in nine disciplines but failed to win a single medal. Filipinos also did not get a single

medal in succeeding games in 2004 in Athens, Greece with 16 athletes in six sports, in 2008 in

Beijing, China with 15 athletes in eight sports, and in 2012 in London, England with 11 athletes in

eight sports.

Table 1. The Philippine Olympic Medal Table Table 2. The Philippine Asian Games Medal Table
 Comparing the Philippine Medal Tables in the Olympics and Asian Games (Table

1 & 2, respectively). It is obvious how the Philippines compares to Asia and the rest of the

world.

According to former senator Nikki Coseteng, such poor showing was a result of

lack of foreign exposures and inadequate training because of insufficient budget

compounded by the long-time bickering of sports officials. I think it is messy because our

structures for the development of Philippine sports are very weak, in some areas invisible,

in some areas underdeveloped and in some other areas, very well supported, in other fields

almost, even totally unavailable. Thats one of the reasons why its messy, (Coseteng,

2013).

Lack of government support

The Philippine government lacks support and vision to create a strong and well-

funded sports development program as a part of a long-term goal towards sport excellence

in the future. It is stressed that there is a need for development and improvement in the

collaboration of the various sectors of the government pertaining to sports and even

departments such as the Dept. of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher

Education (CHEd) as well as the Dept. of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to properly

facilitate the Palarong Pambansa (National Games) often held in rural areas in the

Philippines. Additionally, the Philippines lacks a government department solely dedicated

to sports, showing the government's lack of focus towards the athletics sector.
 Lack of Facilities

The Philippines lacks proper sports facilities, stadiums, and athlete and coach

quarters. Existing facilities most often cater to the rich and paying citizens creating a

barrier/divide and making it inaccessible and out of reach to the poorer population to

which most of the Philippines athletes come from. Apart from the run-down facilities of

the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and athlete settlements in Cogeo, Montalban, the

Philippines lacks accessible facilities for its citizens.

In 2010, The Philippine Sports Commision (PSC) envisioned to create a training

center to create a training center for some 600 members of the national pool in the

sprawling government-owned lot at the Clark Development Zone in Angeles City as the

10-hectare Rizal Memorial Sports Complex is already congested and is not suitable for

the training of the athletes. Budgetary constraints remain the main problem in making

such plan a reality

The government must pour in a huge chunk of its resources for this undertaking. It

includes the training of athletes as well as sending them to various overseas stints for

exposures. But then, there is still the equally important grassroots program. The PSC has

already revived the Philippine National Games, Batang Pinoy and other sporting events to

discover fresh talents. But the obvious lack of proper facilities proves to be the biggest

obstacle.
 1.3 . Significance of the Problem

The Philippines is currently at the brink of being a global powerhouse in sports. With the PSC

and POC laying the groundwork for athletic program development, and private organizations and

professional clubs starting to collaborate with LGUs, a need for a centralized and gentrified complex

for athlete and sport development is in place. The provision of such facility will help the Philippines

create a symbol for national pride and sport dominance. The project will show the Philippines' strength

and advantages against all countries in the world. Also, the project will be a way to popularize sports

and promote clean and healthy living in the Philippines When the aim of the study succeeds, it can help

our country raise its pride and make its people proud to be Filipinos and tourism would also benefit. As

the project develops, local and foreign citizens will be exposed and educated to the local athlete

development and sports scene.

The idea is to create a model for sport facility and athlete training centers in the Philippines that

would encourage clean and healthy living and encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to take up

or improve upon a sport and encourage them to represent the Philippines as national team members.

Provision of housing spaces along with training facilities will help those from the remote parts of the

country and those from overseas to settle in the development rendering them capable of living in

comfort and be in their natural environment. The development will be beneficial to both athletes and

coach personnel as a centralized sport training facility will provide comfort focus to their development

to help discover and develop/ maximize their potentials in a clean, proper and safe environment.
1.3.1. Sustainable Development Goals

#3. Good Health and Well-Being

Filipinos live in the most advanced age of science and medicine; yet preventable

disease, untreated drug & alcohol abuse, preventable birth defects, and avoidable traffic &

industrial accidents still kill millions of people each year. Where a person lives or how much

money he/she has should never keep him/her from receiving the medical attention he/she needs.

Every person, child or adult, should be able to get the resources they need to live a long and

healthy life.

#5. Gender Equality /10. Reduced Inequalities (Discrimination in sports)

Gender inequalities are still deeply rooted in every society. Many women still lack

access to employment opportunities, basic education, and healthcare, and they're often

subjected to violence and discrimination\

A truly developed world cannot exist without equal opportunities for both countries and

their citizens. Equality is at the core of all the sustainable development goals. Together we can

empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all people irrespective of

age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic or other status.

#11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

By 2030, almost 60% of the world's population will live in urban areas, and most of

that urban expansion will be in the developing world. Rapid urbanization puts pressure on

supplies of fresh water, sewage systems, the living environment and public health. A

sustainable city must embrace the rapid change ang adapt accordingly to benefit its users and

stakeholders.
 1.4 Project Goals and Objectives

1.4.1 Goals

Given the need for a centralized athlete development and training center, the primary goal of

the project is to provide a model for athletic development facilities in the Philippines. The project aspires

to be the symbol of athlete development in the country through an accessible, sustainable, flexible, self-

aware, therapeutic, and systematized spaces encouraging athletes and regular citizens to partake in a

clean and healthy lifestyle.

1.4.2 Objectives

To improve the Philippines performance and output in international endeavors in sports

To encourage physical activity and promote a clean and healthy lifestyle to Filipinos

To produce world class athletes with qualities embodying Filipino tradition

 1.5 Project Scope and Research Limitations

1.5.1 Project Scope

The project to be developed will account for designing a master plan of an athlete

village and sport complex, consisting of athlete training and lodging facilities, open spaces

and sport surfaces (tracks, courts, etc.), and supplementary facilities (healthcare,

administrative, wellness center). The project is dedicated to serve and cater primarily to

Philippine athletes and Olympic delegates and secondarily to Filipinos interested to

observe or participate in the Philippines athletic program. The projects design will only

focus on the design of the athlete training and lodging facilities as well as the playing courts

and open areas while other supplementary facilities would only be of reference to the site.

The project aims to be a model for architecturally sustainable sporting and housing

facilities utilizing tropical design strategies as well as green and sustainable design

strategies.

The stakeholders to be accommodated in this thesis is as follows: senior athletes

(19-up), youth athletes (18-under), Paralympic athletes, amateur athletes, professional/

club athletes and wellness and fitness enthusiasts.

1.5.2 Research Limitations

There are some limitations where in gathering of data cannot be acquired. Listed below

are as follows:

Statistics regarding athlete population per sport is either outdated

inconsistent especially in the regional level in the rural areas. An alternative

solution is to base statistics referred to the highest governing body of sports

 in the Philippines which is the PSC. Further interviews with key personnel

of PSC shall be relied upon along with data from the organization

Information regarding minimum requirements regarding sporting facilities

and technologies in the PD 1096 and BP 344 is either outdated or

unspecified. Alternatives would be observation and analysis of local case

studies and combining them with international case studies. Minimum

standards for facilities and technologies will be referenced through

international standards.

Case studies in the Philippines are very limited and specific typologies do

not exist. Alternatives are international case studies and synthesizing

observations and information to the local Filipino context.

Due to the private ownership of the site and confidentiality of documents,

site boundaries, distances and bearings would be based and approximated

using satellite imagery and map data and reference to provided master plans.
 1.6 Definition of Terms & Acronyms

1.6.1 Definition of Terms

Accessible - it can be accessed, entered, and used by persons

with disabilities

Activity-- the condition in which things are happening or being done.

A recreational pursuit or pastime

Amateur-- a person who engages in a pursuit, especially a sport, on

an unpaid basis.

Athlete- a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of

physical exercise.

BP 344Batas Pambansa 344. Accessibility Law

Burnout-- physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.

Centralized-- concentrate (control of an activity or organization)

under a single authority.

Core-- a central and often foundational part usually distinct from the

enveloping part by a difference in nature

Club-- an association or organization dedicated to a particular interest

or activity.

Competition-- the activity or condition of competing, an event or

contest in which people compete or the person or people with

whom one is competing, especially in a commercial or

sporting arena; the opposition.

Coach-- an athletic instructor or trainer

Disability-- any restriction or lack of ability to perform an

activity in the manner or within the range considered normal

for a human being.

Delegate-- a person sent or authorized to represent others, an elected

representative sent to a conference.

Development-- the process of developing or being developed.

Fitness-- a general state of good health, usually as a result of exercise

and nutrition

Flexible-- able to be easily modified to respond to altered

circumstances or conditions.

Gentrified-- renovate and improve (especially a house or district) so

that it conforms to middle-class taste.

International-- something (a company, language, or organization)

involving more than a single country.

Nutrition-- the science that interprets the interaction of nutrients and

other substances in food in relation to maintenance, growth,

reproduction, health and disease of an organism. It includes

food intake, absorption, assimilation, biosynthesis,

catabolism and excretion.

Olympic GamesInternational competition consisting of the

Summer Games and Winter Games taking place every four

years

ParalympicsBranch of the Olympics dedicated to disabled and

handicapped athletes
PD 1096National Building Code of the Philippines

Prophylactic-- a medicine or course of action used to prevent disease.

Senior-- a person who is a specified number of years older than

someone else or a competitor of above a certain age or of the

highest status in a particular sport.

Skill-- the ability to do something well; expertise.

Self-Aware-- having conscious knowledge of one's own character and

feelings.

Sports -- includes all forms of competitive physical activity or games

which, through casual or organized participation, aim to use,

maintain or improve physical ability and skills while

providing enjoyment to participants, and in some cases,

entertainment for spectators. Usually the contest or game is

between two sides, each attempting to exceed the other

Specialization-- a method of production where a business, area or

economy focuses on the production of a limited scope of

products or services to gain greater degrees of productive

efficiency within an overall system.

Sustainable-- conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion

of natural resources. Also, being able to be maintained at a

certain rate or level.

Training-- the action of teaching a person a skill or type of behavior.

Wellness-- is an active process of becoming aware of and making

choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life.

Youth-- the period between childhood and adult age, an early stage in

the development of something or young people considered as

a group.

1.6.2 Acronyms

CHEd- Commission on Higher Education PhilSpADA- Philippine Sports Association

DepEd-Department of Education for the Differently Abled

DOLE- Department of Labor and SDG- Sustainable Development Goals

Employment WG- Winter Games

IOC- International Olympic Comitee SG- Summer Games

IPC- International Paralympic Committee BP- Batas Pambansa

POC- Philippine Olympic Committee PD- Presidential Decree

PSC- Philippine Sports Commission RA- Republic Act

PSI- Philippine Sports Institute