NEWS
New Clark City named PHL’s top sports tourism venue By Patria Iane Balilla
T
he world-class sports complex in the New Clark City was cited as the 2019 Sports Tourism Venue of the Year, at the 4th Philippine Sports Tourism Awards (PSTA), held on December 10, 2020, at the Clark Marriott Hotel in Clark Freeport, Mabalacat, Pampanga. Already on its fourth year, the PSTA recognized “exemplary sports initiatives from the public and private sectors,” which have shown “interest and deep conviction in promoting sports tourism in the country.” In a recorded message played during the award ceremony, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat noted that the Philippines successfully hosted the 30th South East Asian (SEA) Games in 2019, and the “New Clark City was put on the map as a world-class venue for sports tourism and a center for national sports development.” Secretary Romulo-Puyat added, “We’d like to thank Secretary Vince [Dizon] for that. Beyond sports, the city’s development of roads and infrastructure paved the way for its transformation into the country’s newest hub for business and government.” Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and Chief Executive Officer Vince Dizon highlighted that the New Clark City hub—the first modern sports complex developed by the government since the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex was built in 1927—will
6 Collective / Issue 12
benefit present and future generations of athletes. “Our athletes and all our aspiring athletes and sports enthusiasts can use these facilities, train in them, use them for events,” Secretary Dizon said in a video message, played during the PSTA rites. “Our athletes no longer need to travel abroad to use world-class facilities and qualify for sporting events all over the world.” He added that the athletes can use these facilities and “show that the Filipino is a force to reckon with in international sports.” “Thank you very much to the Sports Tourism Awards for this honor and recognition,” he said. “And we promise all of our athletes that we will continue to develop this brand new city so that in the next couple of years, not only will we be able to host the South East Asian Games, but we can aspire to host bigger international sporting events in the future.” The award was received by the BCDA Vice President for Business Development Arrey Perez. The New Clark City was the main venue of the 2019 SEA Games, where the athletics and aquatics events were held. The sports complex features a 20,000-seater athletics stadium, with a 400-meter nine-lane track and field oval, a six-lane warm-up track, and an indoor track. The 2,000-seater
