WITH enough schools joining, weightlifting and boxing could be part of the UAAP sports calendar as demonstration sports.
"The bigger issue is if may sasali ba? Will the schools be able to set up and organize these new teams? Will we have enough schools to join the event?," UAAP executive director Rebo Saguisag told Radyo5's Power and Play with Noli Eala on Saturday.
Saguisag said that the plea of Olympic medalists Hidilyn Diaz and Eumir Marcial have really struck a chord on the league brass that it is open in studying the possibility of welcoming these sports to the UAAP's table.
But he reiterated that staging an event is different from forming teams.
That's why without giving any commitment, Saguisag shared how weightlifting, boxing, and other Olympic sports outside of the UAAP calendar can be held as demonstration sports.
"Normally pag di pa kaya, we ask the national sports associations (NSAs) or a patron to subsidize yung mga teams in the initial stages and for it to become a demo sport," he said. "Pag kinagat siya and we have at least four teams, we have a chance for it to become a regular sport."
Saguisag, though, has no question that that if things fall into place, it won't be long for these sports to be added to the UAAP's calendar.
"If these are two sports we can excel [in the Olympics], it's something we could revisit," he said.
Rebo Saguisag
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