Funds aplenty for Paris Olympics-bound PH athletes

FILE–Asian Games – Hangzhou 2022 – Athletics – Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou, China – September 30, 2023 The Philippines’ Ernest John Obiena celebrates with the Philippines flag after winning the Men’s Pole Vault Final REUTERS/Jeremy Lee

MANILA, Philippines–Team Philippines will be armed with a war chest of P52 million covering the training, preparation and participation of Filipino athletes bound for the 2024 Paris Olympics from the coffers of the Philippine Sports Commission through the initiative of the country’s legislators.

From a proposed PSC budget of P174 million, the Senate Committee on Sports chaired by Senator Bong Go has approved a whopping P1.156 billion for the national athletes and the sports agency’s projects for 2024.

“This is all part of the advocacy that should benefit every corner of our country for a more inclusive and comprehensive development of our sports programs,” said Go, also the vice chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

It means that early qualifiers EJ Obiena of athletics (pole vault), boxer Eumir Marcial and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan will be well-funded in their quest to snag a medal from the Olympics.

Medals from the Paris Olympics will be embedded with the original iron from the iconic Eiffel Tower, a collectible every Filipino Olympic qualifier would crave for not only for the riches it could bring but the priceless value of the metal itself.

Eumir Marcial (right) leaves Syria’s Ahmad Ghousoon glassy-eyed and on all fours after a wicked right to the face resulted in a KO win. The Filipino now has a slot to the Olympics in the French capital all sewed up.—REUTERS
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According to Go, the PSC has an allocation of P200 million for the rehabilitation of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and P75 million for the upgrade of the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.

Also included in the allotment are the budget for the Philippine National Games (P50M), the Batang Pinoy (P40M) and the Indigenous Peoples Games (P10M) apart from the country’s campaign in the BIMP-Eaga Games (P30M) and the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics (P15M).

With the support of the government, there’s hardly any reason why the nation’s athletes shouldn’t excel as Team Philippines aims to replicate another fruitful campaign in the Olympics.

Weightlifting Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo captured the first-ever gold medal for the Philippines during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, boxers Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam brought home a pair of silver medals while fellow pugilist Marcial secured a bronze.

It was by far the most successful campaign that the country exhibited at the global quadrennial Summer Games and expectations are high that another triumph of such magnitude is forthcoming.

“We are celebrating our 100 years of participation in the Olympics. This is a great time for our athletes to shine and win those medals,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.