Last month I had the opportunity to meet Cesar Guerin, who is poised to become the 4th man to run around the world, and the first Filipino to do so. This quest is not just a personal trophy but more importantly to raise awareness of poverty in the Philippines and alleviating such conditions through sports. The man himself is very admirable such a feat is very hard to achieve, yet he makes it simple by running marathon distance every day, unassisted.
Now on the quest to alleviate poverty through sports, it is definitely achievable even in the Philippine. Manny Pacquiao is a glaring example from rags to riches and fame through boxing. The challenge is how to put that into context in a large population such as the Philippines. Only exceptional athletes are paid handsome amounts and there are only a few of them. For such concept to work it is needed that who ever succeeded should give back to development of the community and its infrastructure so the next generations will have a better foundation for their future, that is the only way it will work. Think about it, most athletes who became successful never really look back to the community where they came from, they just wanted to leave and be better of personally. It is of course a personal decision, however if everyone can be convinced that there is a better future for others if they are given the chance then the quest of alleviating poverty will work. Its not just about the sports in itself, its all about infrastructure and education to start with that enable poorer communities to prosper.
Now on the quest to alleviate poverty through sports, it is definitely achievable even in the Philippine. Manny Pacquiao is a glaring example from rags to riches and fame through boxing. The challenge is how to put that into context in a large population such as the Philippines. Only exceptional athletes are paid handsome amounts and there are only a few of them. For such concept to work it is needed that who ever succeeded should give back to development of the community and its infrastructure so the next generations will have a better foundation for their future, that is the only way it will work. Think about it, most athletes who became successful never really look back to the community where they came from, they just wanted to leave and be better of personally. It is of course a personal decision, however if everyone can be convinced that there is a better future for others if they are given the chance then the quest of alleviating poverty will work. Its not just about the sports in itself, its all about infrastructure and education to start with that enable poorer communities to prosper.
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