NEW CLARK CITY, Tarlac — The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the international governing body for the sport of athletics, has given a Class 1 certification on the Athletics Stadium of the rising metropolis here.
This means that the Philippines can now use the stadium to host “Tier- 1 athletics competitions like the SEA Games, the Asian Games, and even the Olympic Games.”
The first venue of such scale built in the country since the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in 1927, the 20,000-seater Athletics Stadium boasts of a “nine-lane main track, and indoor and outdoor warm-up tracks equipped with the IAAF-approved Rekortan M sandwich synthetic surface system.”
“When I first saw the new facility, I wanted to be an athlete again. During our time, we didn’t have this kind of equipment. I wanted to train again,” said Sean Guevarra, the national athletics team coach who set the national record in the high-jump category when he was still an athlete.
The stadium also showcases an Aquatic Center with a pool that is at par with what was used during the 2012 London Olympics. Other facilities in the area include an Athletes’ Village and a River Park, both completed and tested by Filipino athletes.
The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) said the materials in the main track were manufactured and installed by Polytan, which also provided the synthetic surfaces for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil and other international sports competitions. Polytan is a part of Sportgroup brands dedicated to sport surfaces with the most installed running tracks globally, 350 of which are in Asia Pacific.
To get their state-ofthe-art materials, MTD Philippines commissioned Filipino-owned E-Sports International, a Sportgroup distributor, as a subcontractor for the installation of both the competition and warm-up tracks to ensure that both the base preparation and surface system installation met the IAAF Class 1 standards, BCDA said.
“I really hope that Filipino athletes can excel on these surfaces. That would really be the icing on the cake for us: to see them starting to set world records or at least national records on the track,” said Shaun Goudie, Sportgroup Asia general manager.
To further enhance the already world-class track, MTD Philippines donated the SmarTracks digital diagnostics technology, which provides accurate time registration and performance analyses. The package includes 99 SmarTracks timing gates, which E-Sports International installed on the stadium’s warm-up track to pick up the precise measurements of runners who would wear sensor belts.
“All athletes, especially ours, deserve to compete on a level playing field — and it all starts with quality surfaces.” said Audris Romualdez, E-Sports International managing director. “We thank MTD Philippines for enlisting us as part of this endeavor.”
House Speaker and Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee chairman Alan Peter Cayetano along with Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino and MTD Philippines president Patrick Nicholas David formally received the IAAF certification on October 16.
“We demand excellent output from our athletes when they compete for world championships. But if we don’t give them a facility that they can use, how do we expect them to actually compete at the elite level?” said Patrick David of MTD Philippines, the BCDA’s partner in developing the National Government Administrative Center in New Clark City, where the stadium is located.
With the new worldclass facility, Filipinos can look forward to more international sports competitions being hosted in the Philippines, as well as more record-breaking performances and medals from national athletes.
MTD is a Malaysia- based infrastructure conglomerate actively present in 13 countries, notably in the Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, United Kingdom, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Philippines, Chile and China. Its Construction and Engineering division has extensive experience in the development of mountain roads, highways, bridges, building geotechnical works, erosion control and highway maintenance. MTD has successfully completed, among others, the construction of the 36-kilometre South Luzon Expressway in the Philippines.
E-Sports is a sports architecture and wellness solutions enterprise that aims to support, empower, and expand the culture of wellness and active living in the Philippines. The company aligns itself with the world’s market leaders and innovators in the industry. Together, they outfit the Philippines’ top commercial gyms, professional teams, property developers, universities, and condominiums. E-Sports builds high-quality, safe, and sustainable spaces of the same global quality as those used by the industry’s biggest names, including the Olympics and the UEFA Champions’ League.
