In 2020, 42-year-old Eric Kelly retired from mixed martial arts.
However, he says that in almost 20 years of being an athlete, one of the main problems he encountered was the lack of funding and support from the government.
“I tried asking for help from the city government, but they said they had nothing to give,” said Eric Kelly, Retired Mixed Martial Artist (MMA).
That’s why in his retirement, one of his goals is to promote help and support for the city’s athletes.
“I hope they don’t have to experience the same,” Kelly added.
This is also a problem faced by the football association in the city.
But aside from that, with more young people getting into sports, the city government wants to focus on this.
One of their requests is the use of some facilities from the City Sports Office for their training.
They firmly believe that they can achieve this and give hope to young people who can bring honor to Baguio City.
By virtue of City Ordinance Number 047, Series of 2021, also known as the Baguio City Comprehensive Sports Code, the aim is to provide adequate support and assistance to athletes in the city for their training, including adding more coaches to prepare them for local and international competitions.
Aside from this, the ordinance also aims to promote the city as a sports center in Northern Luzon.
** VANESSA BUGTONG
