KASAYSAYAN!

NAKASENTRO ang atensyon ng paghahanda sa Subic at New Clark City sa Tarlac bilang main hub ng 30^th Southeast Asian Games hosting, ngunit buhay ang aksiyon sa satellite venues sa Tagaytay, Batangas, Taguig at sa Manila, partikular ang makasaysayang Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Isinaayos ang ang RMSC, kabilang ang pamosong Rizal Memorial Coliseum – ang lugar kung saan ginanap ang ilang hindi malilimot na kasaysayan sa sports, kabilang ang unang hosting ng bansa sa SEA Games noong 1981.

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Umayuda ang Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor)  sa ipinagkaloob na P842 milyon na ayon kay PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez ang siyang ipinantustos sa pagsasaayos ng mga venue sa RSMC.

“All government agencies are on the same track to making the SEA Games a successful hosting as directed by President Rodrigo Duterte,” pahayag ni Ramirez, tumatayo ring Chief of Mission ng Philippine delegation sa biennial meet.

“The PSC is making sure our guests and the athletes will see the best side of the Philippines when they start to visit our venues. We have the various agencies providing us with support, from the Military and the Police, to the Department of Tourism (DoT), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), the whole of the president's Cabinet through Executive Sec. Salvador Medialdea, almost all government offices with stake in the project are being utilized by the President,” aniya.

Ngayon na lamang muling nakatikim ng pagsaaayos ang mga Rizal Memroial Coliseum, gayundin ang iba pang venues sa Ninoy Aquino Stadium at ang Philsports mulang nang isagawa ang SEA Games sa bansa noong 2005.

“The recent tripartite agreement among the officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Philippine Sea Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) and the PSC also moved forward the preparations,” sambit ni Ramirez. “POC President (Abraham) Bambol Tolentino has also galvanized all national sports associations (NSA) into one direction.”

Iginiit ni Ramirez, na sa kabila ng pagkumpuni sa Rizal Memorial Stadium, siniguro ng PSC na mapapanatili ang porma at kaayusan ng itinuring isa sa historical landmark sa bansa. Itinayo ang venues noong 1934 at kabilang sa pinakamalaking event na naisagawa rito ang kauna-unahang hosting ng bansa sa Asian Games noong 1954.

“The PSC was mandated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to preserve the Rizal Memorial Coliseum to its original form. And we are happy with that because this will be the first time that the Filipinos and our foreign guests will see the venue like it was in the 1930s,” sambit ni Ramirez.

Binaklas at pinalitan ng bagong mga upuan ang RMC batay sa international standards at sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay kinabitan ng air condition units maging ang dug out.

“The canopy will be removed,” pahayag ni Ramirez. “It turned out that it was not there when it hosted the Asian Games before. The color will be the same as it was during the golden era of Art Deco construction that was the design of its architect Juan M. Arellano.”

Sa ngayon, nagpapahiwatig na ang ilang collegiate leagues, kabilang ang UAAP at NCAA para gamitin ang Rizal Memorial Coliseum bilang venue ng kanilang liga.

“We are looking at the long term. We do not want these government-owned venues to become idle after the SEA Games. We are confident of bringing back the collegiate leagues to where they used to play before the new private coliseums attracted them out of our venues,” aniya.

Magsisimula na rin ang pagsasaayos ng Rizal football field – naging tahanan ng Philippine football Azkals team – batay sa standard ng International Football Federation (FIFA).

Isasagawa ang sports ng badminton, speed and figure skating, bowling, billiards, taekwondo, weightlifting, men's football, squash, tennis and soft tennis, gymnastics, kickboxing, boxing, basketball, ice hockey, fencing, karatedo, wushu, indoor volleyball, cycling, 3x3 basketball at Esports sa  Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, Batangas at Tagaytay City.