LUCZON, Jemar R.

I- BS BAA, 201900007
Speech 30, Debate Speech

Olympics and Investments

Are we ready to train the next Manny Pacquiao? Are we giving enough funds to
hone the next Hidilyn Diaz? If I give you half billion pesos to allocate between investments, say
5% vs 20%, wouldn’t you put more money to the one with heavier returns?

Put that in the context of Philippine Sports.

High-performing sports such as boxing, athletics, swimming, and weightlifting, are

considered by the Philippine sports commission as first tier sports. In the entire history, we
already bagged three Olympic silver medals and seven bronze medals, all from these four
sports.

In other competitions, such as South East Asian Games and Asian Games, we also
perform well in judo, taekwondo, archery, gymnastics, windsurfing, and surfing which are also
part of the first tier. However, these athletes suffer inadequate training apparatus,
dilapidated practice venues, and out of plan nutritional diet.

This year, the Philippine Sports Commission received 600 million-peso fund in
preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It is necessary to capitalize a bulk of the budget
towards improving the holistic condition of the tier one athletes. By capitalizing on our
strengths, we are maximizing benefits over costs,

We are not just training the next 8-division world champion. We are not just aiming for
the first Filipino Olympic gold medalist. We dream of waving the Philippine flag over other
banners and a time where Philippines is a powerhouse of champions. We are betting on the
future of Philippine sports. Choose the winning option.