PRESIDENT Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. commended the country’s national grassroots sports program for the revival of sports participation across all ages following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during his third State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
“Grassroots and sports-for-all programs are back in the mainstream catering to Filipinos of all ages,” Marcos Jr. said.
He emphasized that these programs not only provide a platform for identifying new athlete to represent the country internationally but also contribute to promoting health and wellness, particularly among the youth.
The President mainly expressed gratitude to the recent hosts of the country’s largest grassroots sports competition, Palarong Pambansa, namely Marikina City and Cebu City.
“As we speak, 28 of our finest athletes are competing in Paris now for the glory of the Philippines” the President added.
Beyond discovering national pride, these grassroots sports programs also prioritize the health and well-being of citizens, especially the youth.
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Richard Bachmann thanked the President for his dedication to enhancing sports development from grassroots to elite levels.
Bachmann highlighted the agency’s continuous efforts throughout the year to implement various programs benefiting young athletes, women, the indigenous sector, and our national training pool, aligning with the administration’s drive for inclusive governance.
He also emphasized ongoing upgrades in sports facilities to ensure better equipment and resources for all athletes in their pursuit for a winning journey.
“The PSC remains instrumental in advancing the Bagong Pilipinas governance of the Marcos Administration. We are committed to extending government services across the country, ensuring that our policies benefit all sports stakeholders and support every aspiring athlete in achieving their goals for their families and the nation,” Bachmann said.
‘Thank you, PBBM’
In a statement shortly after Marcos’ SONA, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino thanked the President for his support of Philippine
sports development.
“Thank you, PBBM, for your kind wishes for the athletes at the Olympics,” Tolentino said.
“It’s definitely inspiring and it’s an extreme boost to the morale not only to our athletes competing in Paris but to the entire Philippine sports,” added Tolentino, who will fly to Paris Tuesday to oversee the Philippine Olympic campaign.
“This may be exaggerated but the President putting emphasis on sports in a very important event in his administration – something that’s never been done by past Presidents in memory – gives us the goosebumps,” added Tolentino, who, as POC head, personally suggested to Malacañang for the President Marcos to include the sports agenda in his SONA. — Reports from PSC and PNA
Pole vaulter EJ Obiena addresses supporters
IN a recent Facebook post, pole vaulter EJ Obiena expressed a desire to update his followers on his journey.
If you had asked Obiena a year ago how he would envision the “perfect” Olympic preparation, well, it certainly wouldn’t be what has transpired. It has been what can only be termed a bumpy road for him this season.
Despite his best efforts at conditioning, fitness, and discipline, he has been battling various physical problems since April. He knows and fully understands that this can happen to athletes training at such intensity, and he has no complaints.
But why now? This has meant constant stops and stitching training and competition together with his team as best as they could. He has undergone a variety of medical procedures in the past months, weeks, and days to hopefully give himself the best shot at the Olympic Games.
Is Obiena feeling confident with his preparation? Definitely not as much as he would like. Is he doing the best he can each day? Yes, most definitely yes! It’s not what he wanted, but he’s still standing, and he still has a few more days to prepare and sharpen.
Obiena knows these things happen. All athletes at an Olympic level deal with such adversities. He knows not everything is in his control. He is an optimist by nature. Can he perform at the highest level? Yes, believes he can!
Obiena is a proud Filipino, and that means he is resilient and has weathered far worse situations. He promises he will give his 100 percent, thanking everyone for their support.
Carlo Yulo is ‘shooting for the stars’
Coachless gymnast receiving support from potential rivals
GYMNASTS are known for their flexibility, but Filipino standout Carlos Yulo, a two-time world champion, says a rigid approach to his training held him back in the past.
“[My training] is more flexible this time,” he said Wednesday (24 July) after official training ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. “I discovered myself, being independent, being happy about what I do.”
Three years ago at the Tokyo Games, Yulo came to Japan after a history-making gold medal on the floor exercise at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, with expectations as high as his immaculate tumbling.
But errors on nearly every event, including floor, held him out of all the medal rounds except for the vault. Yulo missed the podium there, however, finishing fourth.
Since his Olympic debut, the Manila-native has had mixed results. He won four medals across the 2021 and 2022 worlds, but he left the 2023 World Championships empty-handed.
Following those championships, he and longtime coach Munehiro Kugimiya parted ways, sending him on somewhat of a global adventure.
He’s bounced from training in his home in the Philippines to a stint in the Republic of Korea and mostly recently alongside Team GB’s Jake Jarman in Lilleshall, England.
“The facilities in the Philippines are not for the high-level athletes,” Yulo explained of the moves.
The 24-year-old has taken it all in stride, though.
“I want to acquire knowledge from other athletes, like ask them, ‘How to do these skills?’ and ask coaches, ‘How do I do this? Do you have any methods or strategies you can give me?’
“I’m asking them a lot of questions, how to do this, how to do that, like especially Jake, I really ask him, ‘How do you do your vaults?’” he continued.
“It really helped me a lot, not only in gymnastics, in life, as well.”
It’s boosted his confidence, too.
Yulo says in Paris he’s “shooting for the stars.”
“[I want] a good performance,” he said of his goals. “Of course, a gold medal. I want to win in the floor exercise, vault, also. I’m really shooting for the individual all-around, as well.”
Meanwhile, a sense of togetherness in the gymnastics community has seen the Filipino gymnast, who is without a coach less than five months from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, offer training facilities to the two-time World champion.
If Yulo was a pop star, he’d currently be managerless but collaborating with the best in his field around the world, working with different artists and producers to eke out the best of himself and gain inspiration for his next album due in July.
As it is, the Filipino is an artistic gymnast without a coach who is dropping into gymnasiums around the world to train with athletes of a similar calibre, eking out training tips from coaches at each stopover ahead of competing at Paris 2024, in less than five months’ time.
But the difference is marked between the creative, collaborative popstar vibe and the competitive intensity of the head-to-head showdowns of elite sport.
And yet, there is also a togetherness of those who duke it out in high-level combative arenas, especially the Olympic Games, in which although competitors are pitched against each other in a gladiatorial context, support for each other is at its core. — With reports from Scott Bregmann and Jo Gunston / Paris 2024 Olympics
Proud and strong PH team in Paris opening ceremony
BOXERS Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medalists, will carry the Philippine flag in the unique opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Friday.
“We’ll be a proud and hopeful 16-strong Team Philippines in the opening ceremony,” Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said on Wednesday. He will sit in the Olympic Family section on a bank along the Seine River.
Joining Petecio and Paalam are fellow boxers Aira Villegas and Hergie Bacyadan, hurdlers Lauren Hoffman and John Cabang Tolentino, swimmers Kayla Sanchez and Jarrod Hatch, gymnast Aleah Finnegan, and fencer Samantha Catantan.
Chef de Mission Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla and sports officials Michael Angelo Vargas (swimming), Marcus Manalo (boxing), Cynthia Carrion Norton (gymnastics), Patrick Gregorio (rowing), and Agapito “Terry” Capistrano (athletics) will also be on the boat assigned for the Philippines in the spectacular ceremony that starts at 7:30 p.m. (1:30 a.m. in Manila).
Tolentino said boxer Eumir Felix Marcial, gymnast Carlos Yulo, and rower Joanie Delgaco will not join the parade as their competitions start on Saturday. Pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, on the other hand, has pre- Games preparations in Normandy.
Weightlifters Vanessa Sarno, John Febuar Ceniza, and Erleen Ann Ando are still training in Metz and will check in at the Olympic Village on Aug. 6.
“The schedule of our Olympian athletes have been meticulously crafted by their coaches so there won’t be hitches as they approach their competition days,” said Tolentino, who met former multiple pro boxing champion Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin who is with the Kazakhstan boxing team, while doing the rounds at the Athlete Village.
The other members of Team Philippines are gymnasts Emma Malabuyo and Levi Ruivivar, golfers Bianca Pagdangan and Dottie Ardina, and judoka Kiyomi Watanabe.
The Paris Games organizers described the opening ceremony as “bold, original and unique” as for the first time in Olympic history, the opening will not take place in a stadium.
The traditional parade of athletes will cover 6 km. on the Seine River with boats assigned to each delegation and equipped with cameras, passing the most iconic Paris landmarks. — Report from PNA
Carlo Paalam: The Filipino boxing star forged by hardship
The nickname “Pipi Lata”, or “tin-can crusher,” is one that Carlo Paalam wears with pride.
It was bestowed upon the Filipino boxer by one of his early coaches, and two-time Olympian, Bobby Jalnaiz.
Not only does it portray Paalam’s power in the ring, but it also represents his difficult upbringing.
Growing up as the son of a bakery worker in Cagayan de Oro, the future Olympic silver medallist cobbled together a few dollars a day as a garbage scavenger.
He would also join weekly boxing matches at his local park to win some money to buy food for his family.
At nine years old, his raw talent was spotted by local sports officials, who offered him the chance to join a local boxing programme that provided athletes with a monthly allowance plus room and board. It was an opportunity that would change his and his family’s lives forever.
Paris 2024 and beyond
The road to Paris 2024 has been a hard one for Paalam once again.
He bravely fought through a shoulder injury at the first World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy before succumbing to it in the last-16 and retiring early.
He was just two wins away from securing his Olympic quota, and joining teammates Marcial, Petecio, and Aira Villegas for another shot at glory.
But hardship seems to bring out the best in Paalam.
At 25-years-old, he is already inspiring millions back home, and his best years in the ring may still be ahead of him.
Whether it’s at Paris 2024 or beyond, the “tincan crusher’s” desire is stronger than ever, and he seems destined for more glory. — Report from Andrew Binner / Paris 2024 Olympics
More funding for PH athletes competing in Paris 2024 Olympics
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directed on Friday the Office of the Executive Secretary to provide additional funding to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to support the preparation and participation of Filipino athletes in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
President Marcos led the send-off ceremony for the nine out of 15 Filipino athletes representing the Philippines in the Paris Olympics on June 21, 2024.
“So, on top of all these efforts, I direct the Office of the Executive Secretary to release to the Philippine Sports Commission [additional] funds to help support the preparation and participation of our athletes in these upcoming Olympics,” President Marcos said during the event at the Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros.
“All of these demonstrate this commitment that we have to the advancement of Filipino athletes by equipping them with the tools and encouragement to realize their full potential,” he added.
The additional support is on top of the previous investment on sports development, such as the grant of PhP52 million for the preparation, training, and participation of Filipino athletes in the 2024 Paris Olympics, he said.
For this year alone, the government has invested P1.156 billion in sports, through the PSC, to fund the aspirations and future of Filipino athletes. — Report from PNA
