A group of student-athletes of the VOLeaders Academy from the University of Tennessee, who are on an International Service Immersion Experience, were welcomed by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) when they toured the agency’s sports facilities and had a short session getting to know about the local sports landscape.

The student-athlete organization aims to one day bring a positive impact to and be part of the campus, local, and even global sports institutes.

PSC Chairman Richard Bachmann together with PSC Commissioner Walter Torres and PSC Commissioner Matthew Gaston opened the orientation session saying “keep an open mind” as they started to discuss the facilities inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Monday, riding on its immense historical significance in both sports and the country’s storied history.

The sports agency chief mentioned that the facilities in the sports complex are currently being refurbished to get updated, while maintaining their look to honor its historical past.

Commissioner Torres congratulated the University of Tennessee for incorporating in their academic program the subject of leadership training and development. “Leadership and character are not by chance, it has to be intentionally taught.” 

This was also reiterated by Commissioner Gaston who explained that while the PSC board is a policy-making body, they are very hands-on when it comes to dealing with the athletes. “Chairman Bachmann is very insistent on us visiting the athletes and not the other way around.” Bachmann has been actively visiting different sports training venues of the national team since his appointment, to personally check on their needs.

The students were given a tour of the sports facilities in the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex like the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Rizal Memorial Baseball Field, Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Court, the Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Gym, and some of the other facilities for martial arts – Wushu and Taekwondo.

The Sepak Takraw and our Wushu teams also gave demonstrations where the visiting student-athletes joined in to get first-hand experience of the sports.

One of the student-athletes praised the agency’s facilities in relation to their visit to one of our elementary schools here in Manila. “Heart, passion, joy and gratitude. I think that the youth here have incredible promise to be great athletes and great people. The facilities seem that they are going to get the job done. The youth is amazing and I have been so touched by that.”