DUE to his competition schedule, world gymnastics champion Carlos Edriel Yulo has begged off as one of the country’s flag-bearers during the opening ceremonies of the 30th Philippines Southeast Asian Games on Nov. 30 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion informed the Philippine Executive Board during its meeting at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City last Friday that Yulo would focus on his training for the first day of the men’s artistic gymnastics competition on Dec. 1 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Carrion also declined the POC board’s offer for Yulo to be the last runner in the torch relay and light the 30th SEA Games flame so he could concentrate on performing well in the men’s all-around finals, the opening event in the first day of gymnastics action.
Yulo, who won the men’s floor exercise gold medal in the last 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships last month, is making his SEA Games debut and is among the Pinoy athletes expected to deliver gold medals in the first day of action.
Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez, the chief of mission of Team Philippines, had earlier endorsed Yulo, along with six other outstanding athletes, as the standard-bearers during the inaugural rites of the country’s fourth hosting of the Games.
The others are pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, weightlifter Hidylyn Diaz, boxers Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial, skateboarder Margielyn Arda Didal and Filipino-Japanese judoka Kiyomi Watanabe.
During the meeting, POC president Bambol Tolentino announced an extra P300,000 bonus for every gold that will be won by Pinoy athletes, matching the incentive under Republic Act 10699, the new incentives law, that will be given by the PSC.
