Paralympian Medina, basketball official Ong pass on

Josephine Medina, a bronze medalist in the Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games, has passed away according to the Philippine Table Tennis Federation (PTTF).

She was 51.

Basketball official Tommy Ong, the amiable former deputy commissioner of the defunct Philippine Basketball League (PBL), also died on Friday. He was 65.

Medina won bronze in the table tennis competition in the Rio Paralympiad, becoming the second Filipino to win a medal in the summer showcase after powerlifter Adeline Dumapong, who also won a bronze in Sydney in 2000.

“The PTTF Family would like to send our deepest condolences to the family of Ms. Josephine Medina, bronze medalist in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games,” posted the PTTF on Facebook on Thursday. “You will be missed by your table tennis family. May your soul rest in peace Jo.”

The Philippine Sports Commission also offered its condolences through its social media page.

Meanwhile, veteran broadcaster Chino Trinidad and Hapee Toothpaste sports coordinator Bernard Yang confirmed Ong’s passing to friends and former associates of the man who brought to the country the famous Chinese player Ma Jian in the 90s.

“He was the best ‘league fiscalizer’ any basketball administrator could ask for,” said Trinidad, who served as PBL commissioner for years with Ong as his assistant.

Medina, who was born on March 20, 1970, was also an accomplished paddler in the continental and regional levels winning four gold medals in the 2008 Asean Para Games and a gold in the 2017 Asean Para Games.

Apart from her championships, Medina also won silver in the 2010 and 2018 Asian Para Games silver medalist and a bronze in the 2014 edition of the continental tiff.

—Bong Lozada