Among the immediate priorities of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) under chairman Noli Eala is to boost and enhance the nutrition program for the national athletes.
No less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cited the importance of proper nutrition, which helps guarantee a sound mind and body for the athletes, when he met the PSC chairman in Malacanang last week.
Eala, in his second month at the helm of Philippine sports, received the instruction from the President during the courtesy call of Olympian and world No. 3 pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena in Malacanang.
“Nagkaroon po tayo ng panahong makipag-usap sa ating Pangulo at napakasimple ng mga sinabi niya sa atin – alagaan ang mga atleta. Sabi niya dapat ayusin ang nutrition ng ating mga atleta,” said Eala.
“And I think that’s a policy direction na tamang-tama sa mga plano ng PSC, so atin po itong tututukan.”
Proper nutrition is vital for the national athletes, especially the elite ones who are vying in major international competitions like the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, World Championships, and the Olympics.
Through the years, the PSC has provided the athletes with all the support, including the proper food and vitamins based on the needs of a particular athlete in a particular sport.
But Eala felt that President Marcos wants the PSC to do an even better job on this aspect as the country continues to seek glory in the field of sports, particularly in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“That’s what we will do,” said Eala.
In 2021, the PSC, through the Sports Nutrition Unit, started providing nutritional meals for the athletes during their bubble training at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and PhilSports Complex in Pasig.
At present, the PSC provides meals from breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as morning and afternoon snacks to members of the national teams. PSC nutritionists also provide and design specific meal plans for the athletes to ensure that they get optimal nutrition for their training and help them become competition-ready.
They continue to offer daily online consultations and lectures for national athletes and coaches, from their meal plans to other nutritional queries for their training. The PSC also promotes nutritional awareness among the athletes through its social media postings of pre-competition nutrition, easy-to-make snacks, and what it has branded as the “Secret Menu to Success.”
In 2019 alone, 34,278 meals were served to athletes and coaches at the renovated PSC nutrition halls in Manila and Pasig.