The long-running MILO Summer Sports Clinics has set its biggest stage so far with thousands of clinics in 40 sports lined up across the country beginning this month.Carlo Sampan, head of MILO Sports, said the highly-successful program, which has been running for over three decades, will cover the entire nation, including faraway cities in Mindanao like Cagayan de Oro and Davao.“We will have 1,200 venues for the clinics all over the Philippines this year. This is the biggest culmination of our grassroots programs,” Sampan told the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the conference hall of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Tuesday.“And this year, we have more sports from basketball, tennis, swimming and volleyball to athletics, sepak takraw, arnis, karatedo, baseball, soccer, table tennis, fencing, cheerdance, Jiu-jitsu, soft tennis, surfing, weightlifting, golf and even ice skating and speed skating,” he added in the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, Smart/PLDT, and the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus.Joining the MILO sports executive in the program were Ricky Lim (karatedo), Julie Amos (basketball), Gerhard Mamawal (tennis), Jeanette Obiena (pole vault and athletics), Rocky Samson (taekwondo), Karen Caballero (sepak takraw) and Nikki Cheng (ice skating and bowling).The sports representatives laid down their programs this summer, including the dates and venues which can all be accessed through MILO.com.ph. They all thanked MILO for the continuing support to their respective grassroots programs.“It’s about building champions and building character,” Samson said.“Again, this is the time to get both parents and kids excited. It’s another opportunity for them to be energized even outside of school. Sports is a great teacher,” Sampan added.“It’s not just the skills of the children that are being developed but discipline and teamwork,” he said, adding the summer clinics will eventually culminate with inter-school competitions that go in line with the MILO Olympics.