LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- To better hone the skills of its young athletes, the provincial government of Pangasinan has completed the rehabilitation of various facilities at its sports complex.
Governor Amado Espino III led the inauguration of the newly-rehabilitated mini-Olympic size swimming pool, a laundry building and mess hall at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) here on Tuesday.
All these facilities are being readied for the entry of the first batch of athletes to be trained this summer under the auspices of the Pangasinan Sports Academy (PSA) which he established to help the province's athletes improve their skills.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan set aside PHP3.495 million for the rehabilitation of the mini--Olympic swimming pool measuring 25 meters. The repair of its bleachers, shower rooms, toilets and fence around the swimming pool cost PHP 1.89 million.
The newly built laundry or linen building and mess hall cost PHP1.5 million.
The rehabilitation of the NRSCC swimming pool and its facilities is a big boon to the athletes of Pangasinan and to all others whose passion and way of exercise is swimming, the governor said.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was also attended by department heads of the provincial government led by Provincial Administrator Nimrod S. Camba.
The NRSCC, the venue of the Palarong Pambangain 1995 and 2012 and many other regional, national and international sports events, is the best sports facility in Northern Luzon today.
With a rubberized track oval, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) held a national open at NRSCC in 2009.
The National Milo Olympics was held there in 2011 and the Region I Athletics Association (R1AA) meet in 2013.
The new innovations at R1MC, Espino said, is part of his program to strengthen youth and sports development in the province.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Sports Development and Management Council (PSDMC) said at least 169 athletes and 39 coaches would soon converge at NRSCC as the first batch of athletes to be trained under the PSC.
The athletes will be trained in 14 sports disciplines, among them athletics, archery, arnis, swimming, basketball, boxing, taekwondo, chess, badminton, table tennis, volleyball and sepak takraw. (PNA)
