EXPRESSING his sentiments for the first time over the issues surrounding Olympic-bound boxer Felix Eumir Marcial, Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino yesterday urged a “ceasefire” among all the parties involved and focus instead on the athlete’s build-up to the Tokyo Olympic Games.
“I am trying to reach out to Marcial. Huwag na natin palakihin ‘yung apoy dahil nalalapit na ‘yung Olympics. Ceasefire muna tayo,” Tolentino said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association online forum.
He said he would task the POC Athletes Commission to look into the case of Marcial, who has been vocal in social media about the alleged inadequate support he has been getting in his build-up to the Tokyo Olympics less than two months from now.
Tolentino said he would also issue an appeal to the POC membership during its next general assembly meeting to tone down any negative opinions involving the Olympic-bound athletes and the Summer Games.
“What we don’t need right now is something that will distract our Olympic-bound athletes and those who are still aspiring to compete in the Olympics to be distracted,” the POC honcho said.
With taekwondo jin Kurt Ryan Barbosa boosting the country’s Tokyo-bound athletes to nine, Tolentino expressed confidence the Philippines would have more than 13 bets to the Games. In 2016, the country had 13 representatives to the Rio Olympics.
“With golfers Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan maintaining their Olympic qualifying rankings (at Nos. 22 and 43, respectively) you already have 11 plus we have skateboarder Margie Didal also poised to qualify plus the two universality spots in swimming. So that’s already more than 13 qualifiers,” he explained.
He added that number could still swell with the country’s judokas, karatekas, archers and surfers still in the hunt for Olympic qualifying spots.
