THE Philippine Sports Commission announced additional allowance will be given to every Filipino athlete competing at the Nagoya Asian Games, with more incentives awaiting the delegation if it surpasses its gold medal argets.
‘We will be giving P6,000 extra allowance per athlete in the Asian Games and there will be additional rewards for the athletes should we surpass the four gold medals (in the Asiad) and 10 gold medals in the Asian Para Games.
The 464-strong Philippine delegation to the Asiad includes 387 athletes.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino is hoping the delegation can produce eight gold medals, identifying the elite athletes who can be counted on to deliver, while urging the others to give their best to chip in.
‘I am not pressuring anyone here but I am requesting each one of you to unleash your very best, give it all. Why? Because the next Asian Games will be five years from now in 2031 in Doha, Qatar,’ Tolentino said.
‘You must give your very best, and there is no pressure,’ Tolentino added.
‘Eight gold medals. That’s doable. Four from the combat sports like jiu-jitsu and boxing, and then you have the non-combat sports in gymnastics, the Yulo brothers [Carlos and Eldrew], Alex Eala, EJ Obiena, and our E-Sports. So again, no pressures. We can get eight,’ Tolentino added.
In the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, former national golfer Yuka Saso earned the individual gold and with Bianca Pagdanganan and Louise Kaye Go topped the team event, Hidilyn Diaz won in weightlifting, while Margielyn Didal shone in skateboarding.
The country matched that haul in 2023 in China, with Asia’s No. 1 pole vaulter Obiena, the Philippine men’s basketball team and jiu-jitsu warriors Annie Ramirez and Meggie Ochoa winning their events.
Tolentino also announced weightlifter Ian delos Santos and Paris boxing Olympics bronze medalist Aira Villegas as the flag bearers for the opening ceremony on Sept. 19 at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, Japan.
‘Alex [Eala] was considered as flag bearer, but her father requested us to find another because she will be tired that day because she’ll be coming from the Singapore Open,’ Tolentino said. ‘We also considered athletes who have no schedule the next day. For the closing ceremony, we will still decide.’