The Varsitarian

FOR AN institution wherein sports excellence is the norm rather than the exception, only the best facilities will do not only to train athletes, but also to study the workings of the body to improve skills further.

Senator Robert Jaworski commended the University for its dedication to further studies on human performance and for providing basic and applied research opportunities on sports science during the inauguration of the Center for Research on Movement Science last Feb. 21 at the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex.

The center, sponsored by the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, offers aerobic capacity testing, sport-specific physiologic testing, fitness assessment for wellness, sports performance evaluation, sports talent identification, and sports nutrition.

Jaworski said that Filipinos continue to neglect the right to physical fitness and sports even as he encouraged them to support Filipino athletes.

“Let us realize that there are Filipinos engaging in international competitions. Let us not think that they are a Jaworski, a De la Cruz or a Patrimonio, but a Filipino,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Tyrone Reyes, founder of the Institute of Physical Therapy and keynote speaker said the establishment of the center is one of the defining moments for the country and also for Philippine medicine and sports.

“There is nothing like it in the country. This center certainly says a lot about UST and its commitment to research about exercise science and health care, sports science, and the Filipino athletes,” he said.

Dr. Reyes also emphasized that physicians should be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to people’s health.

Meanwhile, Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso Dayrit said he hopes that the center would use science to make Filipino athletes world-class.

“We saw how sports could unite a nation and how sports can make people proud. We hope that we could have more Eric Buhains, and more Jaworskis in the future,” he said.

Dayrit also said in his speech that the philosophy of sports development has changed.

“Before, for you to get a gold, you have to get a mass base of athletes and from there, you pick out the best man and come up with a gold. Now, it’s an inverted pyramid. You develop a champion then many will follow,” Dayrit said.

He also called for more government and private sector support to Filipino national athletes.

“They are our flag bearers and if supported, our national athletes will have a better and fair chance of succeeding,” he said.

Among the panel of reactors were Philippine Sports Commission chair Eric Buhain, Professional Basketball Association of the Philippines (PBA) commissioner Noli Eala, Sports Medicine Association of the Philippines president Dr. Jerome Albert Quintos, and Bowling world-champion Bong Coo.

The event was followed by a test run of the specialized machines on PBA player Alvin Patrimonio in the center’s biomechanics laboratory.

Also present were Frank Elizalde, International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative to the Philippines, UST Tigers coach Aric del Rosario, and Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao. Ma. Cristina S. Lavapie