BEIJING -- THE PROMISE OF CASH REWARDS is expected to inspire the country’s wushu campaigners when they see action in the Beijing Olympics’ special competition starting Aug. 21 here.

The four-athlete squad, made up of World Championship gold medalist Willy Wang, who will compete in the taolu event, and sanshou artists Benjie Rivera, Mary Jane Espima and Marian Mariano, arrived in the Chinese capital as early as three months ago to train for the 45-nation meet.

“We’re all set,” said Wushu Federation of the Philippines president Julian Camacho yesterday. “The team is among the competition’s strongest, even though we are only entered in two events.”

The wushu special is among the Olympic’s sideshow events and the medals won by the athletes do not count toward their country’s totals in the 29th Olympiad. The sport does not enjoy International Olympic Committee recognition as a regular Summer Games event.

Still, the Filipinos are looking forward to a share of the Olympic bounty set aside by the government for medalists.

Camacho said his athletes had been promised cash rewards by President Macapagal-Arroyo when she visited the national quarters at the Olympic Village last Sunday.

“We are thinking of how we can do well and give honor to our country during these Olympics,” he said, adding he would be grateful if the government indeed rewarded his athletes for their effort.

“If the athletes do not get rewards, it’s OK with us, we will not complain.”

The wushu chief claimed last Sunday that the President had agreed to give the cash bonus of P15 million—the reward for any Filipino Olympic champion—to any wushu athlete who cops gold in the special event.

The national Olympic contingent’s chief of mission, Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella, said the President did not make the pledge and that the private donors who contributed to the kitty were not consulted about it.