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Atletang Ayala is redefining support for Philippine sports, offering not just financial aid, but holistic opportunities that can help them thrive in and beyond their sport.
It’s difficult to measure the impact an athlete’s success can have beyond accolades. Whenever a Filipino athlete achieves something big, there’s always a lot of talk about how influential the win is or could be — but it’s nearly impossible to quantify that influence. Yet, there are moments, however few and far between, when the ripple effects are clear-cut.
When Hidilyn Diaz won the silver medal for weightlifting at the 2016 Rio Olympics, for instance — the Philippines’ first Olympic medal in 20 years, since Mansueto Velasco’s boxing silver from 1996 — it left a lasting impression on members of Ayala Corporation.
Ayala Corporation has long been a supporter of Philippine sports. But at the time when Hidilyn won her historic silver medal at Rio, key figures in the company began to wonder: why aren’t there more athletes at this level? What support do Filipinos need to reach this kind of success? What can we provide?
They decided to answer the question themselves, and in 2022, the Atletang Ayala program was born. Under Ayala Foundation, Atletang Ayala is a sports development program dedicated to supporting elite Filipino athletes in their pursuit of success.
“It started [with a question of] what can they provide national athletes?” explained Jasmine Alkhaldi, a two-time Olympic swimmer and the current Program Director of Atletang Ayala. “The no-brainer is jobs, because most of the athletes don’t have stable income. So, that’s a problem that they’re trying to solve — how do these athletes have stable income, not only for their sport, but so they can support themselves?”
Thus, in 2022, Atletang Ayala started as a program that hired national athletes to work part-time for the “work part-time for the Ayala Group of Companies, while earning full-time pay. This would support them in their athletic endeavors, and beyond this, it also equips them with skills that can prepare them for life after sports.
Jasmine was a member of Atletang Ayala herself and was included in the pioneer batch of the program in 2022.
“Athletes are usually pigeonholed, that you’re only good at sports,” she shared “People would come up to me and say, ‘What are you going to do after swimming? You’re going to coach?’ And, there’s nothing wrong with that. But, I feel like for some athletes, they could do other things.
“So, I think this program was such a great opportunity for me to know that I could.”
Providing pathways to success
Atletang Ayala’s support for Filipino athletes goes beyond financial assistance. By providing them with professional opportunities within the Ayala Group — across companies like Globe Telecom, Ayala Land, and AC Health — the program enables them to train and compete at the highest level, while also building careers beyond sports.
Ultimately, their mission is to support national athletes with underserved needs through the resources available within the Ayala Group, and to support their national sporting careers and their professional careers simultaneously.
Reflecting on her own experiences, 29-time Southeast Asian Games medalist Jasmine Alkhaldi shares that during her time as an Atletang Ayala athlete, she would come into work once a week, complete project-based tasks, and perform most of her work online. This was an ideal setup for when she needed to travel, train, and compete abroad.
This gave athletes like Jasmine a sense of stability while enabling her to compete at the highest level. However, since 2022, the program has evolved and expanded beyond simply providing a stable income.
“The program team realized that if you’re hiring athletes, supporting athletes, you can’t just support the work,” Jasmine explained. “I mean, they’re still athletes, so they added the benefits in the program.”
Additional funding to supplement their income, a tailored health insurance program, access to the facilities in Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub, and to clinicians, sports psychologists, nutritionists, and strength & conditioning and rehabilitation specialists — these all come together to grant a big boost to the athletes under the Atletang Ayala wing.
Atletang Ayala also wants to change the notion of “one-time support.” Thus, each cycle in the program lasts a four-year Olympic cycle, which means that athletes are privy to these benefits for a longer period of time.
As Jasmine explains, “What we’re doing is a long-term support with a goal of hopefully having the athletes qualify for the Olympics. So, the first batch was the 2024 Olympic cycle. Now, for the second batch, it’s for the 2028 Olympics.”
But she also emphasizes that the goal of the program is not about the medals, per se. Rather, it is all about the personal growth of the individuals they support.
“It’s more of the holistic development of the athlete. We don’t want to identify the athlete as someone that just produces medals. So, their worth is more than that.”
What comes after one Olympic cycle? In the short time the program has been around, Jasmine has seen different outcomes. Some, like her, pursue full-time careers in the corporate world; others might choose to continue competing and pursuing athletic excellence.
Ultimately, it comes down to opening doors for more Filipinos. With opportunities to build careers outside of sports, it shows them more of what’s possible and gives them a stronger sense of freedom to choose what’s next.
Building leaders on and off the court
The athletes currently supported by Atletang Ayala come from a wide range of individual sports, from fencing to rowing to shooting and more. Two from the current batch include Olympic rifle shooting athlete Amparo Acuña and Para-taekwondo athlete Allain Ganapin.
Acuña actually found out about Atletang Ayala at an opportune time: she had just received her Master’s degree and, as she shared with The GAME, “I was in a crossroad, whether to continue my sports in sports or to find a career already to provide for myself or my family.”
Atletang Ayala offered Amparo the opportunity to do both. Now, she continues to train as part of the Philippine Team while maintaining a stable income by working part-time within the Ayala ecosystem.
On the other hand, Ganapin — who competed at the 2024 Summer Paralympics — admitted that he was nervous to enter the corporate world, as someone who was more used to the grind of an athlete.
“Sa corporate setting, parang kailangan na mas gising yung diwa namin, kasi eight hours ka na sa office — not like [when you’re training], parang two or three hours lang ka na sobrang active yung katawan. Sa corporate, nakaupo ka lang, utak po yung gumagana,” Allain shared.
Amparo shared the same sentiment as Allain, and though they both had to climb a steep learning curve when they started their respective roles within the Ayala Group, this has actually benefited them as athletes. Though they have always been dedicated to their sports, this new type of discipline has inspired them to, in Amparo’s words, “go the extra mile,” or “raise the standards.” It stays true to Atletang Ayala’s mission — to build leaders, both on and off the court.
Apart from the exposure to work experience, however, one of the biggest boosts the two Filipino athletes have received from the program is their access to a wide range of services, such as nutritionists, physical therapists, and training facilities.
“I feel so lucky, because as one of the para-athletes that was invited to the program, because as Amparo said, not everyone has access to the services of Philippine sports,” Ganapin added.
“With the help of Atletang Ayala, sometimes, even if it’s late at night, like if there’s an emergency injury, we can call the PT or the doctor.”
Amparo shared that she benefited greatly from the access she received to a strength and conditioning coach. Allain, on the other hand, has really been able to focus on his nutrition, which is vital in martial arts.
As both these talented athletes set their sights on their athletic goals — Amparo is currently preparing for the upcoming 2025 Southeast Asian Games and notes that she has five opportunities to notch a medal, while Allain is aiming for a medal finish at the Asian Para Games in October 2026 — they do so with a more solid backbone than they once had.
And with the opportunity to grow with Atletang Ayala, their goals feel much more attainable.
“I would want people to know…how Atletang ayala takes care of their athletes, because we’re really taken care of, and we’re really provided with everything that we need, and even more,” Amparo shares. “I kind of want that knowledge, or like how the program is to somehow be like a benchmark of how Philippine sports should be handled and how athletes should be taken care of.”
A legacy for future Filipino champions
As Program Director of Atletang Ayala, Jasmine Alkhaldi sees the progress that the athletes make by fulfilling their roles at work. Even though they only work part-time, the growth she sees is immeasurable.
Atletang Ayala not only gives athletes a path to success and medals and accolades, but more than this, it also shows athletes that they are capable of more than they might think.
Jasmine had an eye-opening experience herself during her two-year stint in the program.
“I remember my first few months at Ayala…I obviously felt like I was a fish out of water. I felt like I didn’t belong. But they were all so welcoming, and it was the approach that they really wanted me to learn. So, a lot of my time as an Ayala athlete, I learned so much not only from my supervisors but the people I worked with. And, it really gave me confidence that — okay, I’m not just meant for the pool.”
Now, Jasmine is the director of the program and is able to give back to the community.
Allain and Amparo also share similar experiences to Jasmine. For both these talented athletes, apart from enjoying the benefits of the Atletang Ayala program, the whole experience ultimately boils down to earning the confidence that they will be prepared for life after sports.
“I think the Atletang Ayala saw the life after the career [as a priority]. That’s where the program is based, because not everyone in the sports industry sees that problem — like what’s your life after your career?”
Amparo sees herself using this platform as a jumping-off point to push for more growth for Philippine sports, particularly for Olympic shooting. Allain has the same dream: he hopes that he can continue to support para-sports in the country.
It’s incredible to think that all of this was inspired by just one Olympic medalist. Just imagine what more could be achieved with Atletang Ayala paving the way for more champions to thrive.
All images from Ayala Foundation