JUST five days after the celebration of Women’s Month, two prominent Filipinas in sports – International Olympic Committee Executive Board Member Mikaela “Mikee” Cojuangco-Jaworski and rising tennis star Alex Eala – attained separate milestones last Monday.
In the latest feather to her cap, Jaworski, 51, a former champion equestrienne and 2002 Busan Asian Games gold medalist, was formally appointed by the world Olympic body as the “new Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games Brisbane 2032,” the IOC reported on its website.
“The appointment was made by IOC President Thomas Bach following a request from President-Elect Kirsty Coventry, who stepped down from the role after her election as IOC President,” the report said.
“A former equestrian athlete who represented the Philippines internationally, Jaworski has been a member of the IOC EB since 2020. She has strong connections with Australia, having trained and competed in the country, including in Brisbane, for her entire career,” added the article of the athlete-actress, who was the IOC’s representative to the Philippines, replacing Fred Elizalde.
“Jaworski will chair the upcoming Coordination Commission meeting in Brisbane from 20 to 22 May, which will also be attended by the IOC President (Bach) and the President-elect (Coventry).”
“As Commission Chair, Jaworski will oversee the planning and delivery of the Olympic Games Brisbane 2032, working in close partnership with the Organizing Committee, the Olympic Movement stakeholders, local authorities and International Sports Federations,” the report said.
“Her (Jaworski’s) role will be to ensure that all aspects of the project are developed and executed to the highest standards, creating an inclusive, sustainable and memorable Olympic experience for athletes, fans and communities alike,” it added.
On the other hand, entering as a wild card in the Italian Open that started yesterday with the main draw in Rome, Italy, Eala, 19, rose two more rungs in the Women’s Tennis Association world for an all-time best of No. 70 despite early exits in her last two tournaments.
The pretty Pinay Southpaw will open her campaign today at the ForoItalico Tennis Center at 10 a.m. (4 p.m. in Manila), facing for the first time world No. 27 and 2024 Australian Open and Paris Olympic Games women’s singles quarterfinalist Marta Kostyuk, 22, of Ukraine.
Eala was mentioned as one of the players to watch on the WTA website in the run-up to the tournament, pointing out that “the rising 19-year-old Filipina goes into the main draw with a No. 71 ranking.
Whoever wins the Eala-Kostyuk match faces Australian world No. 15 Daria Kasatkina, 27, who drew a bye, in the second round.
A total of 68 players of the top 70 players in the WTA ratings are part of he 96-player draw as they eye the top prize of 877,000 euros (around P55.235 million) and WTA 1000 ranking points to the singles champion, according to the WTA website.
