Philippines targets China as major training ground for athletes

MANILA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A senior Philippine sports official on Monday said the sports authority is considering to make China the top training ground for its athletes as a quality alternative to the United States and other Western countries.

In an interview with Xinhua, William Ramirez, Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, said right after the Beijing Olympic Games in August, the government plans to send Filipino weight-lifters, swimmers, divers, among others, back to China for preparation of the upcoming regional meets and eventually the 2012 London Olympics.

Ramirez said Filipino athletes, including Olympians such as divers Sheila Mae Perez and Ryan Fabriga, have received training in China and the drill yields very good results.

"Compared with far end expensive training sessions in the United States and Australia, China offers a good alternative with quality training and a fair price," Ramirez said.

The sports chief said aside from the strict and intensive training Filipino athletes are expected to get in China, they can also benefit from being immersed in an atmosphere where the spirit of fighting for the country's pride and the appreciation of sportsmen excellence prevail.

Ramirez said Philippines' national diving and fencing teams are both coached by Chinese Olympians and they helped improve the athletes' performance tremendously.

The Philippines will send a team of 14 athletes to Beijing to compete in six sports -- archery, swimming, diving, boxing, taekwondo, and shooting.

Ramirez said he wished the country's ace amateur boxer, 31-year-old Harry Tanamor, can bring back an Olympic medal, something the Philippines has been missing out since 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Ramirez, however, said the chance for the Filipinos to secure a first Olympic goal in China remains slim.

"It is very difficult, even for Tanamor. His major rival, China's Zou Shiming, is very powerful," he said.

Tanamor finished at the second place in the light flyweight division of 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Chicago, defeated by Zou, who also carries China's dream of winning its first Olympic boxing gold in August.