NAS uses Eala stint at Rafa academy as blueprint
The National Academy for Sports (NAS) hopes to produce more athletes like Alex Eala by following a development model similar to the one that helped launch the Filipino tennis star’s rise on the world stage.
Newly appointed NAS executive director Francis Carlos “Kiko” Diaz said on Tuesday the government-run academy is looking to global examples of athlete development, citing the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain, where Eala trained during her formative years.
“Alex Eala is an example of an athlete who was groomed by a sports academy—the Rafael Nadal Academy—with an academic program embedded in her training,” Diaz said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Philippine Sports Commission media room.
“You can see now the success Alex Eala is enjoying.”
Eala trained at the academy founded by Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal in 2016, combining world-class coaching with formal education—an approach Diaz believes can serve as a blueprint for developing Filipino athletes.
Diaz said NAS is moving toward a similar system that integrates academics and elite training.
“That’s essentially what we’re doing at NAS,” Diaz said. “We recognize the challenges, but we’re transforming them into opportunities. We’re also seeking partners who can help provide funding and support for our student-athletes.”
Established in 2020 through Republic Act No. 11470, the National Academy for Sports operates out of the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac. It currently houses 237 student-athletes.
Modeled after specialized public institutions such as the Philippine Science High School and the Philippine High School for the Arts, NAS has a dual mission: providing quality secondary education while developing athletes who could represent the country in international competitions.
“Our responsibility is twofold,” Diaz said. “First is to provide holistic secondary education for our student-athletes. Second is to develop them into future national athletes who can represent the country—from the Southeast Asian Games to the Asian Games and hopefully the Olympics.”
For now, the academy focuses on seven Olympic sports: athletics, aquatics, taekwondo, badminton, table tennis, judo and gymnastics.
