Athletics, swimming get largest chunks of financial aid last decade

Athletics got much financial help from the PSC over the past decade.

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Athletics and swimming have had the largest war chests according to the financial assistance the Philippine Sports Commission gave to the national sports associations over the past 11 years.

In a copy of the financial report obtained by Dugout Philippines on Wednesday, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association received a grand total of PHP274,308,504.41 worth of financial aid or PHP24,937,136.76 per year from 2010-2020.

The Philippine Swimming Inc., on the other hand, received PHP270,721,539.19 over the same time frame or PHP24,611,049.02 per year.

For two straight years from 2018-2019, however, swimming got more money from the PSC than athletics with swimming getting PHP85.86 million in 2019 alone.

Canoe-kayak received the third most with almost PHP215.19 million, while the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines, the recently named NSA of the Year by the Philippine Sportswriters Association, was fourth with PHP211.89 million.

Taekwondo rounds out the Top 5 with the biggest financial assistance from the PSC with nearly PHP208.52 million.

Volleyball, football, and basketball were among the NSA's with not so much financial help from the PSC.

The PSC handed out a total of PHP46,412,105.67 over the past 11 years for volleyball split between the predecessors of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation, the Philippine Volleyball Federation and the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc.

The Philippine Football Federation, on the other hand, received around PHP43.8 million.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas received just shy of PHP25.7 million since 2010, getting the shortest assistance in 2019, when the PSC shelled out a huge budget for the Southeast Asian Games hosting.

Among the associate Philippine Olympic Committee member NSA's, dancesport got the largest financial assistance with some loose change above PHP60 million.

The Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled got the most financial assistance among the recognized members with just over PHP379.1 million.

The PSC shelled out over PHP5.1 billion to the NSA's over the past decade.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno