Sports group hopes to help local athletes achieve Olympic dream

Smart Sports head Patrick Gregorio said they are willing to partner with various groups involved in running events. Gregorio said that they are not just acting as a sponsor of an event but they are helping different sports in their drive to help discover young and potential athletes who can excel in future international competitions like the Olympics.

Aside from running events, Gregorio’s group is also actively supporting basketball, boxing, taekwondo, tennis and cycling. Marathon is one of the events they are actively involved in since they believe that it is a sport where Filipinos can truly excel. “We’re not just sponsoring events and counting billboards and releases of the events. We’re here because of a solid advocacy that is to partner with other sectors to help the athletes," said Gregorio during Wednesday’s launch at the Dusit Hotel in Makati City. Gregorio added that Smart Sports came to life after the Beijing Olympics as telecommunication mogul Manuel V. Pangilinan has asked many times on why the country continues to fail in its goal of winning the Olympic Gold. “He asked us to name Olympic sports where we can win medals in the Olympics and that is why we are here supporting a number of sports," added Gregorio. The latest sport added to their growing list is the 2nd Subic International Marathon set from October 24 and 25 at the former US Naval Base in Olongapo. The first edition of the international running event was held in 2008 then known as Subic Marathon. Smart Sports is now an active partner of the second staging of the Subic. “It took us a year to really study the offer. But we felt that given the right training and support, Filipinos can really excel in marathon," added Gregorio. Since a lot of running events are happening in the country, Gregorio said that what the runners need to do is to fully develop their skills. He is also not closing the doors of the possibility of working together with other running events with corporate sponsors like the longest running marathon in the country, the Milo Marathon. “We won’t mind playing supporting role to other corporate sponsors as long as it is for the athletes. We have yet to speak with sponsors of the Milo Marathon but we are willing to work hand in hand with them," added Gregorio. Some 7,000 runners are being eyed to compete in the two-day race with the 42-kilometer marathon as the centerpiece event. Aside from the full marathon other events are the 21-K half-marathon and the 10K and 5K fun runs. A total of P1.6 million in cash prizes will be up for grabs with the champion in the male and female in marathon receiving $5,000. – GMANews.TV