CHENGDU, China — Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Patrick Gregorio is keen on building regional training centers to further strengthen grassroots development and promote inclusivity even in remote provinces.

Traveling in his first international mission as the country’s sports chief, Gregorio arrived in this ultramodern city Wednesday afternoon to attend the opening ceremonies of the 2025 World Games at the Tianfu International Convention Center and give his word of support to the national teams.

And what a perfect time to lay out his grand plan of putting up training hubs in key locations in the Philippines with the presence of Filipino athletes who joined this significant multi-sports event for non-Olympic disciplines.

“We must develop these centers to give young athletes an equal chance of honing their talents and avoid them being taken away from their families,” said Gregorio, who met with Team Philippines Chef de Mission (CdM) Stephen Arapoc to also discuss his next big project for the sports agency.

“There is already a directive from the Office of the President to put up regional training centers. It is now all about creating a framework which will work for both the PSC and the stakeholders,” added Gregorio, who, himself, was a former CdM in the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama where karatedo Junna Tsukii won gold in women’s kumite 50kg.

With the sports agency’s recent initiative of opening the track ovals gaining positive feedback from the public, Gregorio said it is high time to build training hubs in several strategic cities across the country.