In a bid to bring more Filipino athletes closer to their Olympic dreams, the Ayala Center for Excellence in Sports (ACES) opens up its Atletang Ayala program to more athletes from a wider variety of sporting events — all as it provides expanded benefits and new professional development opportunities.
As we have witnessed in the past decade, there is absolutely no shortage of determined and world-class athletes in the Philippines. In the 2022 Tokyo Olympics alone, silver medalists Eumir Marcial and Nesthy Petecio, along with bronze medalist Carlo Paalam, brought honor to the country when they bested their opponents in the boxing ring. Of course, who could forget Olympic gold winner Hidilyn Diaz, who also made history with her weightlifting victory?
But equally noteworthy is how many Filipino national athletes experience uphill battles, as they seek out financial support and training — the very struggles that stand in the way of our future champions, Olympians or otherwise.
Recognizing the obstacles and challenges that Filipino athletes typically face, the Atletang Ayala program of the Ayala Center for Excellence in Sports (ACES) continues to raise the flag for Philippine sports by expanding the aid and support provided for athletes, especially in vying for a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
For starters, ACES will open the program to more beneficiaries, growing its original roster of eight to 20. Athletes from more sporting events — raised from four to 15 — may also now seek to qualify for a spot in the program. The program will now include sportsmen and women from lesser-known sports such as rowing, as well as para-athletes.
More benefits, more growth
Launched in early 2022, ACES’ Atletang Ayala program enables homegrown Filipino Olympic hopefuls to lead balanced lives through enabling them to pursue growth both as professionals and sportsmen and women.
While they are in the program, athletes receive full-salaried employment opportunities and flexible work arrangements that enable them to both train and make a living, as they tread their way through their respective competitions, including the 2028 Olympics, European Grand Prix, Olympic Qualifier tournaments in Turkey and Australia, SEA Pacific International Competition, Asian Karate Championships and the Philippine National Open, among others.
Thanks to the ongoing expansion of the Atletang Ayala program, qualifying athletes will also now have access to Healthway Medical Network’s Athletes’ Health program, which includes physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, sports nutrition and sports psychology. This is in addition to the preferential access program athletes already enjoy in Healthway facilities, including Qualimed Hospitals and Healthway Clinics. Atletang Ayala will also finance its beneficiaries’ participation in foreign training camps and international competitions, through the provision of fixed budgets and administrative support.
Atletang Ayala athletes will continue to enjoy full and free access to the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub (AVSH) in Cavite — a world-class training facility that houses a 400-meter track, a FINA-standard Olympic-size swimming pool, and a dormitory specially-designed for athletes in training at AVSH. Finally, athletes in the program will also have the option to enroll at De La Salle University — which will provide programs designed for their unique needs — so that they may earn degrees that would eventually aid in their post-sports career development.
With the expansion of Atletang Ayala, a total of 10 companies within the Ayala group have now opened their doors to these aspiring champions. These companies are Ayala Land Inc., Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe, ACEN Corporation, ACMobility, AC Health, AC Logistics, Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc., Ayala Multi- Purpose Cooperative and Ayala Corporation.
The first champions
Soon after they became part of the Atletang Ayala program, all eight beneficiaries rose in the world rankings, as they continue to grow in their respective careers. They are:
Jasmine Alkhaldi: A two-time Olympic swimmer who hails from Las Piñas City, Alkhaldi brought home seven medals from the 2023 SEA Games after joining the Atletang Ayala Program. “What I really appreciate about the program was the environment and community it provided for me to grow in my professional career. I was mentored well and continuously given valuable tasks that led me to believe that as an athlete, I can also be a positive contributor in our department and company,” says Jasmine, who will soon lead the marketing and public relations initiatives of the Atletang Ayala program.
Xiandi Chua: After enlisting in the program, San Juan City’s nationally ranked swimmer and University Athletic Association of the Philippines champion brought home four medals from
the 2023 SEA Games, including a gold for record-time 200-meter backstroke event. While diligently training for competitions, she is also working as an HR associate at Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. “The program provides me the opportunity to gain corporate exposure which I believe will be useful when I pursue my dream to become an entrepreneur someday,” she says.
Andrea Robles: Robles entered the top 15 percent of the world archery rankings, and seized an opportunity to study abroad during her time with Atletang Ayala. The first-ever Filipino gold medalist at the Indoor Archery World Series in 2019 and the first Filipino to qualify for the Indoor World Series Finals in 2020 is currently working as an employee engagement specialist at Globe Telecom. “The kind of support they offer is long term and they promise to help us even after our time in this program has passed,” she says.
Pia Bidaure: Also now part of the top 15 percent, this archer from Dumaguete finished third in the 2022 SEA Games, where she also won gold for the women’s recurve team. She represented the Philippines in the final qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics where she ranked 33rd. Outside the archery range, she earned a degree in BS Civil Engineering at Siliman University, and now works as a cadet engineer-in-training at ACEN. “It gives a sense of pride and joy seeing Filipinos compete internationally,” shares Pia.
Abby Bidaure: With the Atletang Ayala program pushing her to new heights, Abby is also now part of the top 15 percent in her sport. Prior to this, the SEA Games medalist also represented the Philippines as a final qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics, where she ranked ninth. “The Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub is one of the best sports facilities this country has to offer, because it can be utilized for a wide range of sporting events,” adds the former BS Psychology student from the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod, who is now an HR associate-in- training at ACMobility.
Nathaniel Perez: Also rising in the world ranking is the Philippines’ top foil fencer and gold medalist at the National Team Selection. His winning streak continues, even after he bagged silver for the individual games and bronze for the team games at the SEA Games. “Before I joined this program, I only competed internationally once every fencing season. Now, as a member of the Program, I have already joined four international competitions (three World Cups and one Grand Prix),” he shares. Nathan is currently a management trainee at the Ayala Multi- Purpose Cooperative.
Noelito Jose Jr.: This athlete from Valenzuela City is a 2022 SEA Games silver medalist, who also placed at the Asian U23 Fencing Championships in Thailand (2019) and at the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying in Uzbekistan (2021), among others. He also graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, and is now working as an HR associate at ACMobility. “There are so many talented, world-class Filipino athletes. We may not have had the resources before to become the best in the world, but now we do!” exclaims Noelito, whose ranking also rose while he was part of the program.
Prince Alejo: A proud Caviteño, he is the youngest nationally ranked karateka with gold medals at the Karate Pilipinas Nationals in 2022 and 2021 and bronze (67kg Kumite) at the 2022 SEA Karate Federation. “What I love most is access to the physiotherapy and strength and conditioning programs of Athletes’ Health. You get to work out and have recovery sessions at the same time. This feature is very extraordinary because very few gyms have both good quality equipment and physiotherapy coaches with impressive credentials,” shares this soon-to-be cadet engineer at ACEN.
Under Atletang Ayala, the new generation of Filipino athletes continue to reach new heights, whether in the sporting arena or the workplace. Aside from improving their world rankings in their respective sports, they also performed well in their respective jobs, with each one receiving positive appraisal ratings.
As the pioneering batch of the Atletang Ayala program nears graduation, Nathaniel, Noel, Xiandi and Abby are well-positioned to continue rising in the world rankings for their sports. Pia, Prince and Jasmine, on the other hand, have chosen to pursue bigger professional opportunities within the Ayala group. Meanwhile, Andrea is poised to fly abroad to study some more.
And soon, a new chapter will begin for a new generation of Olympic hopefuls —all thanks to ACES’ Atletang Ayala program, as it continues to grow, expand and break new ground for Filipino athletes. —Grace C. Diez
If you want to know more about the Atletang Ayala program, please email aces@ayala.com
