The ongoing seminar aimed at the relation between sports and peace that is being hosted by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Unesco could end up becoming a watershed event, UNESCO Jakarta regional office head Irakli Khodeli said yesterday.
“The type of attention I have found in the Philippines is remarkable,” said Khodeli at the Philsports in Pasig, site of the three-day workshop that is being participated in by representatives from the Asean region.
Even before the two parties forged a partnership, the government, by way of the PSC, had started reaching out to troubled places in the pursuit of peace.
“Hope we can get (do this) in other countries,” said Khodeli, a native of Georgia.
“This is something that is something close to my heart: sports and the youth.”
Even before the arrival of Khodeli, the PSC had been immensely involved in grassroots development by holding children’s games in Mindanao.
“We (the Unesco and PSC) share the same vision,” added Khodeli.
National training director Marc Velasco says the Unesco’s involvement only proves one thing.