PSC backs Watanabe’s Tokyo Olympic bid

The road to a stint in three consecutive Olympics has been paved for Filipino-Japanese judoka Kiyomi Watanabe.

Ranked 27th in the world, the 21-year-old Watanabe will get financial support from the Philippine Sports Commission in her campaign to land a berth in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games and in two succeeding Olympics.

“We will take good care of Kiyomi,” said PSC Chair William “Butch” Ramirez during a press briefing Monday at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. “And whatever happens in Tokyo, win or lose, we will make sure that she will proceed to Paris and later on to Los Angeles.”

Paris won the hosting rights for the 2024 Olympics while Los Angeles was chosen to hold the 2028 Games.

The PSC believes it has a good reason to support Watanabe, whose mother, Irene, hails from Mandaue City.

Competing at middleweight (-63 kg), the defending Southeast Asian Games champion won a gold medal in the International Judo Federation (IJF) World Tour Paris Grand Slam early this year and pocketed a silver in the European Judo Open in Austria.

Two weeks ago, Watanabe ruled her weight class in the Asian Judo Open held in Taipei.

“Japan has a good offer, but I’m already committed to compete for the Philippines,” Watanabe said through her mother in Japanese.

Philippine Judo Federation president Dave Carter said after the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Watanabe will fly to Budapest, Hungary, for the World Judo Championships, slated Aug. 29.