EXCITEMENT filled the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) General Assembly on Thursday as medalists in last month’s Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games were rewarded with the latest iPhone 18 models at the East Ocean Palace in Parañaque City.
‘I’m very thankful I have a new iPhone that I can use…but I will keep my old phone,’ said Jeus Yape in taekwondo, one of the country’s three gold medalists in Nagoya in virtual taekwondo.
‘I will give this iPhone Pro Max to my wife when I come home to Kalinga,’ said MMA silver medalist Jean Claude Saclag, referring to his nurse wife Rochelle.
POC President Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino thanked SportsPlus for providing a total of 49 of the 53 iPhones 18 512gbs-three iPhone Duo for the three gold medalists, 11 iPhone Pro Max for the silver winners and 35 iPhone Pro for bronze medalists-as reward for their valuable effort.
‘All the athletes that won a medal here are so happy to get a new iPhone 18 model through the help of SportsPlus, and we are all thankful for their generosity,’ Tolentino said. ‘That is a total of P7 million because even all members of team sports that won a medal have an iPhone each.’
The Philippine delegation harvested a total of 29 medals-two golds from Paris Olympics double gold medalist Carlos Yulo of gymnastics and one gold from EJ Obiena in pole vault, and nine silvers and 16 bronze medals in Nagoya.
Except for Yulo and younger brother Karl Eldrew who are presently competing in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in The Netherlands, and Obiena, who’s back training in Athens, and Alex Eala, who’s competing in the WTA500 Ningbo Open in China, all medalists got their iPhones.
The gold medalists will also receive P2 million cash incentives each from the government through the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
The nine silver winners will have P1 million each while the bronze medalists will get P400,000 each.
‘Feeling so blessed with this reward.’
The Genaral Assembly, meanwhile, granted regular POC membership to Pilipinas Climbing, Philippine Kabaddi Federation and Philippine Mixed Martial Arts Federation.