Safe sports
SPORTS takes another step in its evolution with the initiative taken by the International Olympic Committee( IOC) to provide a safer environment for athletes as they compete.
Safe Sport is this specific initiative taken by the IOC and National Olympic Committees( NOCs) all over the world , in our case , the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), are being envouraged to introduce, craft, and implement additional safety measures for athletes that go beyond the physical side to include mental and emotional side.
Truth is, the advent of the internet has added a new element of cyber bullying or bashing in the world applicable as well to non athletes.
Now why am I suddenly pontificating about this subject matter when there is the FIBA World Cup happening right here?
…For one, bashing our Gilas head coach Chot Reyes by netizens is an example of this new phenomenon if you can call it that.
In fact Chot’s case was taken up in the recent two-day workshop at the Ace Suites and Water Spa hosted by Milo for its different stakeholders in its Philippine grassroots programs that aims at getting the youth from an early age into sports.
Unfortunately, I was not there during Day 1 of the workshop last Monday and Tuesday but I caught up with it on Day 2.
The invitation actually was to cover the event but I decided to go beyond observing and waded into it, joining the lively group discussions that tackled the different areas of Safe Sport, including gender equity, equality, and inclusion, recognizing signs of abuse, coming up with reporting procedures to include safeguarding, and risk management.
The group was diverse, those involved with Milo’s sports programs nationwide now focused more on its sports clinics, yes , no more national marathons that I got to cover starting in the late 70s when some of the concerns emerging presently were accepted realities then, like starting marathon races at 12 noon.
There were organizers, sports clubs, schools, LGUs, parents, sports officials, coaches, abd by accident, sports media when I shared a personal experience that relates to gender equality or inequality, depending on whose viewpoint.
And I shared this with the participants/ I had the opportunity to cover a few rodeo events in Masbate, late 90s and early 2000s, and enjoyed , wondered too, at the sight of female participants , cowgirls may be a better term, wrestling with cows with bare hands, individually and as teams.
I got the idea of featuring only the female side as a human interest sports feature so I intervewed some cowgirls, a young student from UP-Los Baños gave me a first time experience, surprising me with her reply to my question.
I asked her why was she in this predominantly male sport , and looking at me straight in the eye, told me I was a male chauvinist. No, I told her, just a curious sportswriter trying to come up with what I knew was an interesting piece.
Perhaps knowing what I know now about gender equality in sports, I wold have taken a different approach in phrasing the question I toss at that young lady, I wonder if she still remembers me.
For me, I made the suggestion that sports media should be part of this kind of discussion. For one, we are in a position to promote this advocacy.
I am happy that Carlo Sampan, the Milo Sports Head whom I met previously at the launching of this year’s Miloruns at the Mall of Asia, took time to exchange views with me on the matter, and I am glad that he took the initiative to work with the POC and adopt Safe Sport in their programs.
He admitted the subject was an eye opener for them, what with the thousands of kids who join their many sports clinics, and accepted the responsibility of providing more protection to their participants.
There were more than 60 people in attendance in the event and Carlo plans to bring more people into it by exanding to the provinces.
Said one lady participant, fitness advocate Rovelyn Caoile, the event provided her with a lot of new knowledge in this emerging area in sports. This was echoed by Decathlon’s Mishra Rafael who felt enlightened with her experience in the workshop.
The facilitators from Davao, provided by the POC, Hilton Soberano and Rose Lantisce, did a good job in educating people on the big picture and the nuts and bolts of designing a Safe Sport structured program.
Marika Arconcel, a consultant for PSC Commissioner Bong Coo, was also there as this iniative is under Comm. Bong for whom I and Pat Hizon did a successful media relations training for national athletes.
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