Empowering 50 Student Athletes in the Philippines

Being a sports official is not an easy job because every game presents its own challenges.  It is best that referee training becomes an essential in sports moreso that it has been three years into the pandemic when the world of sports was totally affected.

Training referees starts with rules of their respective sport, how to apply it in game situations, learn the signals and positions of the sport and learn how to deal with coaches. These are all vital to good game management.  Much of this we learn from practice, experience, talking with co-officials and most importantly constant in being back in the book to review rules and situations which is the reason for re-training.

The Institute of Youth Sports for Peace, the sporting arm of Foundation University through its C.A.R.E.S (Culture, Arts, Recreation, Education, Sports) Outreach Program recently held a referee training camp to prepare referees in the province for the face-to-face sports compeitions now being planned after a long hiatus.  The goal is to improve and advance their skills and knowledge in their particular sport which they could pass on or use in training their athletes.

The Commission on Higher Education already came up with the guidelines to implement the return of collegiate athletic competitions. COVID has greatly affected sports and sports development in the Philippines.  In previous reports,  our athletes did not stop or lose their interest in the field of sports, thus, virtual trainings continued in the past two years just to institute continuity in their development.  Although, virtual competitions occurred  the commission is now faced with face to face sports events in the new normal.

While overall health, mental health, emotional well-being of students benefit from increased participation in sports it has also demonstrated that participating in sports improves a person's mental, physical, psychosocial health and the general quality of life.  Training and competiting face to face has the advantage of increasing social relationships and that solidarity among participants.

The university is preparing for the face to face classes by August 2022.  This will bring back our scholar athletes.  As a higher educational insitution, the commission has urged the institution to adopt the best practices implemented during the pandemic.  Sports is an essential building block for a healthy society and each have to carve out a place of fun in our lives while being able to avail of quality education.