LONDON—Francisco Elizalde is probably the only Filipino sports official who has attended the past six Olympiads. But no, he’s not a member of the Philippine delegation, although he has made it a point to be present for the Filipinos in the Games.
Elizalde is a member of the International Olympic Committee, the self-perpetuating council of old men who run the modern Olympics. He is the second Filipino to become a member of the IOC. The first, Jorge Vargas, was IOC member for 44 years—1936 until his death at age of 89 in 1980.
Watching from the sidelines of the archery competitions a few hours before the opening ceremonies Friday night (Saturday morning in Manila), Elizalde said membership of the committee will no longer be limited to octogenarians and septuagenarians. The IOC has imposed an age limit of 70 for members.
But Elizalde is not covered by that imposition, having been a member since 1985 and therefore covered by the “grandfather” clause of that retirement rule. He is a few months away from retirement. At 79, he is approaching the old retirement age of 80.
Since he joined the IOC in 1985, Elizalde has seen four Filipinos go up the podium in the Olympics to receive a medal, and all of them were boxers—light flyweight Leopoldo Serrantes (bronze, Seoul 1988), Roel Velasco (bronze, Barcelona 1992), and Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco Jr. (silver, Atlanta 1996).
But definitely, London will not be his last Olympics, Elizalde said. He will remain an honorary member and therefore be entitled to all the perks of membership except for the privilege of voting and sitting in the front row in IOC meetings.
“I will be in the back row, but it’s OK for me. Front row is not a good place to be when you’re asleep,” he joked.