New Clark City named PHL’s top sports tourism venue

By Patria Iane Balilla

The 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 Southeast Asian Games (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 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 Southeast 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 aquatics center has a 10-lane Olympic-size swimming pool, a diving pool, an inland diving training facility, and a warm-up training pool. The New Clark City also has its own 525-unit Athletes’ Village, which can accommodate up to 1,500 athletes. It is equipped with a basketball court, swimming pool, and fitness facilities. The New Clark City sports facilities will also be used by future student-athletes of the National Academy of Sports—which is targeted to be operational by October 2021—and other educational institutions to be established in the New Clark City. Clark Freeport Zone, meanwhile, was awarded Sports Tourism Destination of the Year by the PSTA for the third time. Clark was the venue for other 2019 SEA Games events, including archery, rugby, baseball, softball, dance sports, petanque and lawn bowl. A haven for cyclists, runners, triathletes, other athletes and sports enthusiasts, Clark received the same award in 2015 and 2018.