MANILA—As Chef de Mission to the biggest sports spectacle in the world, the challenge for Philippine Olympic Committee first vice president Manny Lopez is to maximize the participation of Filipinos in the 2012 London Olympics.
“There’s a need to increase the number of possible qualifiers to the Olympics and it’s the job of the chef de mission to make it happen,” said POC president Peping Cojuangco Jr. yesterday.
Twelve athletes are already training to qualify for next year’s Summer Games under the Olympic Solidarity scholarship program.
They are swimmers Jessie King Lacuna and Jasmine Alkhaldi, taekwondo jins John Paul Lizardo and Marlon Avenido, long jumpers Marestella Torres and Henry Dagmil, shooters Hagen Topacio and Paul Bryan Rosario, rower Roque Abala Jr., fencer Emerson Segui, wrestler Margarito Angana Jr. and archer Mark Javier.
The POC chief pointed out more athletes other than the Olympic scholars are capable of qualifying for the games and it’s the responsibility of the CDM to make sure that they are being trained properly.
Amateur boxing, which Lopez used to head, is hoping to qualify at least four athletes while the Smart Gilas Pilipinas five will shoot for the lone Olympic slot in the Fiba Asia championship in September.
The other national sports associations with Olympic hopefuls are also training for their respective qualifying tournaments.
Lopez has also been tasked to oversee administrative functions pertaining to the Olympics and supervise the identification, physical conditioning, nutrition and training of Olympic prospects.
“He (Lopez) should make sure that they’re doing the right thing and getting the proper assistance,” said Cojuangco. “We have the time to make this work and win the country’s first gold.”