President Duterte signed Republic Act 11470 into law on June 9th, 2020, establishing the National Academy of Sports (NAS) in the Philippines.
The National Academy of Sports will use the New Clark City sports stadium in Capas as an educational facility for student-athletes. The New Clark City stadium was recently used in the 2019 SEA games and has a max capacity of 20,000 spectators. There are 525 rooms on-site with a full kitchen, dining areas, and conference rooms.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told the press that the Philippines has proven to be on par with their neighbors regarding sports and that the passing of RA 11470 will help raise competitiveness and produce world-class athletes for years to come.
The NAS will utilize an educational program that will help Filipino athletes further their knowledge and skills of their desired sport. Qualified student-athletes will also be able to earn full scholarships to the new program.
The SEA Games occur every two years and include national teams from the Philippines and other countries across Southeast Asia. In 2019 the Philippine National team dominated the SEA games, bringing home 387 medals; 149 of them were gold.
Philippine online sportsbooks will sometimes offer SEA game props and futures that are legal to bet on under Philippine gambling laws. Since the 2019 games were held in the Philippines, domestic sportsbooks were not allowed to offer betting lines for the games. The 2021 games are scheduled to be held in Vietnam on November 21st- December 2nd.
In addition to betting on the SEA Games and other Olympic style events, online sportsbooks typically offer betting lines on popular Philippine-based sporting leagues such as Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Betting on PBA games in 2020 has been stalled due to the current coronavirus pandemic, but you can rest assured that once the pandemic has run its course and gameplay is resumed, online sportsbooks will have numerous ways to place bets on the PBA.
For now, account holders can bet on what sports are still active around the world and other betting options typically offered by reputable sportsbooks, including casino games, poker, and horse racing.
Philippine sports fans are applauding President Duterte’s decision to establish the National Academy of Sports as we hope it will develop more athletes in the future and further Filipino athletes to the national stage. There is nothing sweeter than winning, and the NAS will help assure those medals keep coming in future games.
