The New Clark City Athletics Stadium is ready and the first to try it were members of the Philippine track and field team on Wednesday, July 3, 2019.

The members of the national team will be accommodated and housed inside the Athlete’s Village this August, says Vince Dizon, BCDA President.

The Athletics Stadium and Aquatics Center can be used by the athletes to train.

President Dizon says in a statement, “We always talk about the Philippines becoming a sports powerhouse in the region. But the thing is, we haven’t really supported our athletes. The last time we built a stadium was in 1934 — the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Before we demand that our athletes perform at the international level… I think our athletes deserve to have the kind of facilities that modern countries have.”

Giving the athletes access to the stadium before the competition is beneficial to them, says Senator Pia Cayetano, who believes that this would help in the improvement of the facility. She also emphasizes on giving value and importance to the athletes by providing them with the best facilities.

“It’s a win-win. For the organizers, because they’ll get to see ‘what do we fix’. Normal naman ‘yan, and for the athletes to be able to live in a world class facility and feel that they are valued”, said Cayetano.

The New Clark City includes 2,000 seats in the Aquatics Center, more than 500 rooms in the Athlete’s Vaillage, and a river park. The stadium will hold the closing ceremony of the competition on December 11, 2019.