NOLI Eala said he feels blessed, humbled and grateful to be appointed the new chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, expressing his excitement to take on a new role at the head of the government's sports program.
"Sports has always been my passion. My involvement in sports for the last 33 years in almost every facet is a testimony to this," Eala told SPIN.ph after his appointment was handed down by Malacanang on Tuesday.
[READ Noli Eala is new PSC chairman]
"But never did it cross my mind that I would be given this honor and privilege to lead the PSC and our country’s sports agenda. I feel blessed, humbled and grateful especially to President Marcos for this opportunity to serve Philippine sports again.
"Now I’m so excited to get to work."
Eala is a veteran broadcaster who later served in various capacities in sports, from being PBA commissioner from 2003 to 2007 to executive director of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) to sports director of San Miguel Corp.
As PBA commissioner, Eala introduced several innovations like the two-conference format that freed up players for national team duty and was the brains behind the hugely successful Crispa vs Toyota Reunion Game in 2003.
At the SBP, he helped launch the Gilas Pilipinas program with a team coached by Rajko Toroman and led by Chris Tiu and JVee Casio.
Now tasked to oversee the government's sports agenda, the former PBA executive vowed to build on the gains of Philippine sports the past few years highlighted by the country's first-ever Olympic medal courtesy of Hidilyn Diaz in Tokyo in 2021.
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Eala, at the same time, promised to build new programs to sustain the gains of Philippine sports with both grassroots and elite sports in mind.
We will continue with the programs that have worked in the last few years while building new ones that will further strengthen our sports initiatives," he said. "The PSC under my watch will care for sports like no other."
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