A great place for new athletes

The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex should not be torn down. Your article (“Neither PSC nor City Hall can promise Rizal Memorial won’t be demolished,” Lifestyle, 12/19/16) discussed its art deco facilities. Yes, it is pretty inside. But besides the visual attraction, there is a more important consideration. Inside there are great sports facilities. There is an Olympic-size swimming pool, football, basketball and baseball stadiums, track and field facilities, tennis, bowling, taekwondo and many other underutilized facilities.

I do not begrudge the Philippine Sports Commission for wanting to move to Clark, Pampanga. Most of the facilities at the Rizal  Memorial Sports Complex have seen better days. But for a beginning athlete it’s a great place to train on a regular basis. Clark Pampanga is just too far away for student players.

Quezon City has the Amoranto Sports Center. I often go there. Amoranto is regularly used by the public and student athletes. Instead of turning Rizal Memorial Sports Complex into a shopping mall, the city of Manila should spend some money and renew the facilities. We owe it to the Filipino youth and to our future Olympic hopefuls.

JONATHAN FOE, jonathan_foe@hotmail.com