Dickie Bachmann (middle) takes his oath before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin (second from left) at Malacañang. Standing beside Bersamin is Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevarra (left). Looking on are Bachmann’s daughters Ciara (second from right) and Sophia. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
From a victory-starved nation in the Olympics, Team Philippines pulled off a quantum leap by netting its first gold medal in the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games through weightlifting celebrity Hidilyn Diaz.
Sustaining the momentum gained from the biggest gathering in global sports will be on top of the agenda for Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard “Dickie’’ Bachmann.
The newly installed PSC chief will be looking forward to sitting down with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to create a task force that will plot the route of Filipino athletes going to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I have my focus on the athletes and the NSAs (national sports associations). I will also be strengthening my relationship with the POC,’’ said Bachmann, who was installed as the 12th chairman of the government sports agency last week.
“In fact, I received a congratulatory letter from POC president Abraham “Bambol’’ Tolentino and I will respond by asking him to create a task force—both PSC and POC—so we can work together for all the events leading to the Olympics,’’ added Bachmann.
Athletes’ needs
Aside from strengthening the agency’s ties with the POC, another focal point that Bachmann will put emphasis on are the needs of the athletes and their various national sports associations.
There are over a thousand athletes being taken care of by atleast 70 NSAs recognized under the umbrella of the POC.
The PSC-POC task force for Paris 2024 will monitor the training, competitions and overall preparations of athletes who possess strong chances of qualifying and those touted to win a medal in the Olympics.
Diaz, who captured the country’s first gold medal in the quadrennial meet two years ago in Tokyo, will be on the priority list as well as Tokyo Olympic silver medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam of boxing and fellow boxer Eumir Marcial, who pocketed a bronze medal.
Also expected to be included in the roster are world champion gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo and world No. 3 pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena. Both Yulo and Obiena are surefire medal contenders once they make it to Paris.
“We haven’t tackled it [task force] yet. Right now, I’m focused on the organization itself,’’ said Bachmann.
There’s a great deal of labor ahead for Bachmann and his board composed of PSC commissioners Olivia “Bong’’ Coo, Edward Hayco and Walter Torres with a jampacked schedule of international multi-event competitions this year alone.