THERE was a slight hint of envy in the voice of gymnastics ace Carlos Edriel Yulo after he witnessed the opening of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines grassroots gym inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex last Friday.
“Kung mayroon ganitong klaseng equipment noong nag-umpisa ako, baka mas na-develop ang galing ko ng mas maaga” noted the two-time world champion of the top-of-the-line equipment worth $129,000 (roughly P7 million) donated by the Japanese government to the GAP.
A GAP protege since he was eight years old, Yulo had his humble beginnings as a budding gymnast at the same gym, practicing on old equipment that was a carryover before Cynthia Carrion took over as the new gymnastics chief.
The new equipment was purchased through the Japanese government’s Grant Assistance for Cultural Grassroots project, with Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Japan’s Ambassador the country, and Carrion formally opening the gym.
Among those who witnessed the turnover were Deputy Speaker and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Rep. Faustino Dy III, House Sports and Youth Committee chairman, commissioner Walter Torres of Philippine Sports Commission, and Philippine Olympic Committee deputy secretary general Carl Sambrano.
The grant was awarded to the GAP in March 2022 during an agreement signed at the official residence of the Japanese ambassador in Forbes Park, Makati.
“We hope that we can discover more top gymnasts like Caloy (Yulo’s nickname) as they use and perform on these apparatus and equipment,” said Japanese Munehiro Kugimiya, the coach of the national men’s artistic gymnastics squad, who played a pivotal role in securing the financial aid.
“We would like to thank the Japanese government’s generous help through the Grant Assistance for Cultural Grassroots Project in setting up this facility for our aspiring gymnasts who can now train and develop their skills and talent using quality equipment that we did not have before,” noted Carrion.
