Tag: Bambol Tolentino

Talisay City’s Hermosa: I didn’t expect to win gold.

Talisay City’s Hermosa: I didn’t expect to win gold.

carlocarrasco

Welcome back my readers and sports fans! The 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia are officially over and the Philippines won more gold medals compared to the previous SEA Games and Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino hailed the Filipino athletes for a job well done.

Speaking of gold medals, the Philippines finished in 1st place in Men’s Individual Triathlon (Fer Casares), Women’s Individual Duathlon (Kim Mangrobang) and the Mixed Aquathlon 4X Team Relay. One of the members of the gold-medalist aquathlon team – Matthew Justine Hermosa of Talisay City, Cebu province – was recently featured in the Cebu Daily News (CDN) in a post-SEA Games article. What he shared in the article should interest you all.

Cebu’s Matthew Justine Hermosa (leftmost) holding the Philippine flag with teammates Iñaki Lorbes, Kira Ellis and Erika Burgos after their gold medal victory in the 32nd SEA Games aquathlon team relay event. (note: photo sourced from Triathlon Association of the Philippines Facebook page).

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Cebu Daily News article. Some parts in boldface…

Cebuano triathlete Matthew Justine Hermosa said he did not expect to win a gold medal in his first stint in the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) after he and three other Filipino triathletes topped the mixed relay of the aquathlon event last May 6, 2023, at Kep Beach in Cambodia.

The 18-year-old Talisay City native ruled the mixed relay of the aquathlon event at one hour nine minutes and 56 seconds. Joining him was Kira Ellis, Erika Burgos and Iñaki Lorbes in winning the gold medal.

For Hermosa, it was a fun and challenging experience for him.

“For me, I didn’t expect to win gold, I expected a podium finish like maybe bronze or silver. It was a great bonus to receive and take home the gold medal and adding it to the tally,” said Hermosa.

“It was fun and at the same time it was quite challenging. The pressure from it is very different from our local races. Everyone’s eyes are on you and the expectations are so high. It was indescribable and mixed emotions to have won the gold medal but thankfully we did,” he said.

From left to right: Fer Casares, Kim Mangrobang, Iñaki Lorbes, Erika Burgos, Andrew Kim Remolino and Matthew Justine Hermosa showing their 32nd SEA Games medals upon arrival at the airport. (photo credit: Manila Bulletin)

Hermosa is one of the three Cebuano triathletes who campaigned for the Philippines in the 32nd SEA Games.

The other two were Andrew Kim Remolino who secured a silver medal in the men’s aquathlon and a bronze medal in the men’s triathlon event. Also, 2022 SEA Games bronze medalist Raven Faith Alcoseba competed along with them.

“It was a very challenging race because for aquathlon you have to do a swim of 500 m and after that you have to do a sprint run of 2.5 km. On the swim it was a very big challenge because the waves were so big, the water was so dark and the current was so strong that it would push you back to the shore,” Hermosa recalled.

“But I was fortunate enough to come out of the swim 3rd behind Vietnam and Indonesia, and on the run I was able to catch up with the two and I was able to finish 1st and giving a few seconds gap to my fellow teammates.”

To see the rest of CDN’s article, click https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/504045/hermosa-cebu-triathlete-on-winning-seag-gold-it-was-fun-challenging-experience

With regards to post-SEA Games events, the Philippines will be sending triathletes to the Asian Games which will happen in China this September-October.

Watch out for more Philippine multisport updates right here!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. If you want to support my website, please consider making a donation. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/.

A tough battle for the Philippines at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games (32nd SEA Games) in Cambodia

A tough battle for the Philippines at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games (32nd SEA Games) in Cambodia

carlocarrasco

This year marks Cambodia’s hosting of the 32nd edition of the Southeast Asian Games (also referred to as SEA Games, 32nd SEA Games and Cambodia 2023). The said regional games composed of multiple sports competitions will officially happen this coming May and already a tough battle for the Philippines has been seen, according to a news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA article. Some parts in boldface…

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino on Tuesday sees tough battle ahead for the Philippine contingent as Cambodia hosts the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in less than four months.

“Frankly, kinakabahan ako because of the formula na ginawa ng host country (Frankly, I’m worried because of the formula made by the host country),” said Tolentino during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Pasay City.

“Medyo mabigat ang ginawa (It’s a bit abrupt),” Tolentino added, referring to Cambodia’s decision to include events that are practically alien to the other countries and exclude events where Cambodians have slim chances of winning.

For a country of less than 17 million people, Cambodia has lined up 608 events in 49 sports, far bigger than the 530 events in 56 sports in the Manila edition in 2019 and the 526 events in 40 sports in Hanoi last year.

But it does not mean that the Philippines, this early, is giving up the fight for the biennial event scheduled from May 5 to 17.

Tolentino said the POC will still make sure that the Philippines will be represented well in as many events in Cambodia and hope to match or improve on its fourth-place finish in Hanoi in May 2022.

“Salihan natin lahat ng events sa Cambodia (We will join all events in Cambodia),” he said during the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation (SMC), MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, POC, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

“Kailangan natin masalihan lahat (We need to compete in all events). We will give them a good fight,” added Tolentino, who is also counting on newly-appointed Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairperson Dicky Bachmann as the national athletes gear up for the Cambodia event.

“Buti na lang pareho kami hands-on (Bachmann) (The good thing is we are both hands-on),” said the POC chief and president of PhilCycling.

Cambodia finished at No. 8 in the last SEA Games edition, winning nine gold medals along with 13 silver and 41 bronzes. Providing the golds for the country were vovinam with three and petanque with two, then kickboxing, wrestling and taekwondo with one each.

Tolentino said it will be quite difficult for Cambodia to win the overall title this year.

“Based on their formula hindi kaya mag-first. Pero sasaksak sa taas yun whether second, third or fourth. So baka battle for fourth na naman. Tingnan natin (Based on their formula, they cannot get first place. But they will surge within the top whether second, third or fourth. So it might be battle for fourth again. Let’s see),” Tolentino said.

For the multisports enthusiasts reading this, the SEA Games in Cambodia officially has triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon competitions included which is something the Philippines has been looking forward to.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you believe that the Philippines could match its 31st SEA Games (hosted by Vietnam) overall medal finish in this year’s SEA Games in Cambodia? If you have been to Cambodia, what is their country like and how is their climate?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Over P200 million for Team Philippines’ 31st SEA Games campaign

Over P200 million for Team Philippines’ 31st SEA Games campaign

carlocarrasco

The 31st Southeast Asian Games (AKA the 31st SEA Games, SEA Games 31 and Hanoi 2021) is just one week away from formally opening in the City of Hanoi in Vietnam. As for the Philippine sports delegation attending the region’s biggest sports event, their campaign has received a financial support of more than P200 million from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and more money could be released, according to a BusinessWorld news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the BusinessWorld report. Some parts in boldface…

THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) have cough up more than P200 million to fuel the country’s ambitious campaign to defend its overall title in the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games (SEA) set on May 12 to 23.

“The PSC had already released more than P200 million and could reach P230 million to fund the country’s SEA Games participation,” a source on Monday told The STAR.

Part of the Philippines’ 987-strong delegation, which included 646 athletes, had left for Hanoi on Sunday and on Monday while the bulk of it will follow suit next week in time for the opening ceremony on May 12.

There (rest) of the delegation will arrive on May 13.

Kickboxing, which will be led by former mixed martial arts champion Honorio Banario and 2019 SEA Games gold medalist Jean Claude Saclag and Gina Iniong Arao, flew on Monday.

The national kickboxers are out to eclipse, if not duplicate, their three-gold, two-silver and one-bronze harvest in the last edition of the biennial meet.

Jomar Balangui, Renalyn Dacquiel, Carlos Alvarez, Kurt Lubrica, Daryl Chulipaz, Emmanuel Cantores, Claudine Veloso, Gretel de Paz, and Zephania Ngaya are the other members of the team.

PSC commissioner and the country’s Hanoi Games chef de mission Ramon Fernandez and Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino are both optimistic of the Filipinos’ chances.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a sports enthusiast based in the Philippines, do you think that P200 million to P230 million is enough funding to help Team Philippines achieve its gold medal targets in the SEA Games there in Vietnam?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon officially included in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia

Triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon officially included in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia

carlocarrasco

As many millions of sports enthusiasts all over the Southeast Asian region are anticipating the start of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (also referred to as 31st SEA Games, Hanoi 2021 and SEA Games 31) in Vietnam (for external references, click here, here and here), the wheels for the 2023 edition of the SEA Games (AKA 32nd SEA Games) in Cambodia are already moving forward and already close to forty events have been confirmed, according to a news release published through the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

And here are the most notable news for the people who love multisports – triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon are officially part of the 2023 SEA Games events! Very recently, a high-profile meeting about the next SEA Games was held in Cambodia.

The official logo of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games (also referred to as Cambodia 2023).

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA article. Some parts in boldface…

Cambodia will be putting on a showcase as a first-time host of the Southeast Asian Games in 2023 with 39 sports already on its competition program.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said Cambodia has shown its readiness to host next year’s Games during a SEA Games Federation meeting held over the weekend in Siem Reap, a resort town that’s the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Angkor Wat.

“Cambodia is ready to host and they promised an excellent edition of the Games,” Tolentino said in a news release on Monday.

Tolentino was joined in the meeting by POC Deputy Secretary General Bones Floro, triathlon head Tom Carrasco, volleyball chief and POC broadcast committee chair Ramon “Tats” Suzara, soft tennis Capt. Bob Moran and bowling legend Bong Coo representing women’s sports.

Cambodia scheduled the 32nd edition of the SEA Games from May 5 to 16—a year after Vietnam hosted this year’s Games—with the capital Phnom Penh as the main hub.

Tolentino said centerpiece athletics and aquatics tops the sports program as Category I sports with the marathon for men and women starting and finishing at Angkor Wat as well as the road and mountain bike (MTB) cycling.

The other sports under Category II are badminton, basketball (5×5 and 3×3), boxing, billiards, cycling (road and MTB), canoeing, rowing, Ok Chaktrong, Asean and Xiangxi), dancesport, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics (aerobic and artistic), hockey (including indoor), judo, karate, muay, petanque, sailing, sepaktakraw (including chinlone), soft tennis, table tennis, taekwondo, traditional boat race, triathlon (including duathlon and aquathlon), volleyball, wrestling and weightlifting.

In relation to the above news release, triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon are also listed in a recent article on the official website of the 2023 SEA Games.

Take note that Cambodia will be hosting and organizing the SEA Games for the first time ever. The official website of the 32nd SEA Games is located at http://cambodia2023.com/ and their focus on preparing for the games is real. Check out the video below from the Cambodia 2023 YouTube channel.

For more about the Cambodia SEA Games on social media, visit their official Facebook page, their official Instagram account and follow them on Twitter.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are an enthusiast of triathlon, duathlon or aquathlon, what is your reaction towards their declared inclusion in the 2023 SEA Games? With regards to Cambodia’s first time hosting the SEA Games, are you excited to see the region’s biggest sports event to be held there?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Over 650 Philippine athletes counted so far for the 31st SEA Games

Over 650 Philippine athletes counted so far for the 31st SEA Games

carlocarrasco

If you are rooting for the Philippines to become successful in the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (AKA 31st SEA Games, the Vietnam SEA Games or Hanoi 2021) in Vietnam this coming May, be aware that more than six hundred fifty national athletes have been listed to represent the country, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) article published recently. To make things clear, these athletes were collectively submitted by the varied national sports agencies (NSAs) to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC). The current number of athletes is tentative at best as there are NSAs still finalizing their respective athletes for the SEA Games.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA article. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has so far summed 656 athletes who will do battle in the 31st Southeast Asian Games that are due in under two and a half months in Hanoi, Vietnam.

POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said majority of the 39 national sports associations which are fielding athletes to Vietnam have submitted tentative rosters for the May 12 to 25 Games.

The Philippines is competing in 39 of the 40 sports programmed by Vietnam for its only second hosting of the Games since 2003. In these 39 sports, the country is participating in 44 disciplines, according to Tolentino.

“Comparing the numbers when we hosted the Games in 2019, we’ll have a delegation that’s slashed almost in half from three years ago,” Tolentino said in a news release on Monday. “And a quick look at the numbers show we’ll be hard-pressed to repeat as overall champions.”

There were 1,115 Filipino athletes in 2019—an automatic privilege that host countries have—and they won 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze medals for a guaranteed overall title.

“But we’ll have a fighting team in Vietnam, setting aside the difficulties of training and competing or training overseas because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Tolentino said.

Of the 44 disciplines, the POC has yet to receive a tentative list for athletics, men’s 3×3 and 5×5 basketball, weightlifting and jiujitsu.

The deadline for the submission of entries by names is on March 12 and Tolentino said the POC is hopeful to complete the list—including expected revisions from NSAs which already complied with the body’s February 24 internal deadline—by then.

“Several NSAs were allowed to submit tentative lists because they’re still completing their final qualifications or trials,” he said.

The estimated size of the delegation is pegged at 874. Also on the tentative list are 177 team officials (coaches, team managers and/or NSA heads or representatives) and 20 members of the medical (doctors, nurses, and masseurs/therapists) and administrative staff.

Competition venues for Filipino athletes are spread out in four clusters although majority will be in the main hub of Hanoi, Tolentino said. The POC based the clusters on their proximity to Hanoi.

Filipino athletes will be competing in diving, swimming, finswimming, archery, athletics, badminton, 3×3 and 5×5 basketball, billiards and snooker, bodybuilding, bowling, boxing, canoe-kayak, chess, cycling, dancesports, esports, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics (artistic, aerobic and rhythmic), beach handball, judo, jiujitsu, karate, kickboxing, kurash, muaythai, pencak silat, rowing, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon/duathlon, volleyball, beach volleyball, vovinam, weightlifting, wrestling and wushu.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Considering the difficulty everyone had to endure with the COVID-19 pandemic, do you think that the current athletes the Philippines has right now are competitive enough to bring home SEA Games gold medals? Among the all of the above listed SEA Games sports the Philippines will compete in, what are the five sports that interest you the most right now?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/

31st SEA Games in Vietnam officially set for May 12 to 23, 2022

31st SEA Games in Vietnam officially set for May 12 to 23, 2022

carlocarrasco

Finally, the delayed 31st Southeast Asian Games (also referred to as 31st SEA Games or Hanoi 2021) that will be hosted by the City of Hanoi in Vietnam will officially take place from May 12 to 23, 2022 as the event organizers announced recently. This is a breakthrough following the previous announcement that May 2022 would be the month of organizing the events that will lure the best athletes of Southeast Asia.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the article published recently by Philippine News Agency (PNA). Some parts in boldface…

Organizers of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Vietnam announced on its website on Friday that the biennial multi-sport games postponed from last year will be held from May 12 to 23 next year.

The specific dates were posted on Vietnam’s national Olympic committee website and reported by Channel News Asia (CNA).

The Games will open three days after the Philippines holds its national elections on May 9, 2022, and according to Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president, Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, the majority of the athletes, coaches, and officials on Team Philippines would be unable to cast their votes.

“This is one of those sacrifices of having to represent the country in an international competition,” he said in a news release.

The POC has determined a 626-athlete delegation to the Vietnam games, which will be played in the Hanoi main hub.

“The main bulk of the delegation will be leaving for Vietnam no less than a week before the opening ceremony,” Tolentino said. “This is because our athletes need to acclimatize and get the feel of the competition venues, environment, and weather.”

It gets hot in Hanoi in May, with temperatures expected to reach 34 degrees Celsius.

Hanoi hosted the SEA Games for the first time in 2003 in a December schedule when the weather was wintry, with temperatures dropping to 11 degrees Celsius in the evening.

Vietnam originally scheduled the SEAG from November 21 to December 2 last year, but was forced to postpone it due to the pandemic.

Hanoi will be the main hub with 11 other sub-venues.

Vietnam, the ANC said, has allocated a budget of about USD69 million (PHP3.45 billion) for the games, which are expected to attract nearly 20,000 participants, 7,000 of them athletes from 11 countries.

Visiting Vietnam

With regards to Vietnam, those who plan to visit the country during this pandemic should take note that recently the country opened specific tourist destinations for foreigners without the hassle of quarantine related to COVID-19. There will be specific rules and requirements that should be met in order for foreigners to be accepted. Posted below is an excerpt from the New Straits Times report. Some parts in boldface…

VIETNAM has opened up five popular tourist destinations in the country for foreign visitors to visit without quarantine.

The government said that foreigners who have either been fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19, can visit the five destinations starting this month.

The Vn Express said that the move comes after Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh approved the pilot plan by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The plan will be carried out in three phases, with the first phase allowing foreign travellers to visit designated places in Vietnam’s biggest island Phu Quoc, Da Nang City, Quang Nam Province which is home to the ancient town of Hoi An, Khanh Hoa Province which is home to Nha Trang beach town, and Quang Ninh Province home to Ha Long Bay.

Authorities said that travellers must show proof of full vaccination or Covid-19 recovery, as well as a negative coronavirus test done within 72 hours before departure.

Only test results done using RT-LAMP or RT–PCR methods will be accepted.

Visitors will also need to have a medical or travel insurance that includes coverage for Covid-19 treatment worth at least US$50,000 and must book a package tour.

Children under 12 years old travelling with a parent or guardian do not require a certificate of vaccination against Covid-19.

They must also install the contact tracing IGOVN application on their smartphones and use it during their tours in Vietnam.

Although there is no quarantine requirement, visitors will be tested on the first day of arrival using a rapid antigen test and if the result is positive, they will be taken to a medical facility and the cost will be borne by the insurance company or the tour operators.

Authorities said that foreigners who want to see their families in Vietnam can register with the tour operators to do so.

The second phase of the plan is expected to take effect in January next year and it will allow tourists to travel between the five destinations allowed in the first phase.

The Express said that the third phase will see Vietnam fully reopen to foreign visitors.

However, a detailed timeline will depend on the pandemic situation in the country.

And now here is Vietnam tourism video for your viewing…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M0TmN2TsK4

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Are you looking forward to the 31st SEA Games now that it has a finalized set of dates for the organizing? What is the one sport you are looking forward to watch in the Hanoi SEA Games? Are you interested to visit Vietnam anytime soon?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

31st SEA Games in Vietnam to open in May 2022

31st SEA Games in Vietnam to open in May 2022

carlocarrasco

The SEA Games Federation had its official meeting this past Monday and the news are already spreading (refer to the reports of the Philippine News Agency, the Bangkok Post and The Straits Times)…the delayed 31st Southeast Asian Games (referred to as 31st SEA Games or Hanoi 2021) in Hanoi, Vietnam will officially begin in the middle of May 2022 although the specific date has yet to be determined. Take note that the 31st SEA Games were postponed previously due to the COVID-19 crisis that is still ongoing.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Philippine News Agency report. Some parts in boldface…

Vietnam is looking to begin the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games by the middle of May next year.

This was confirmed during the SEA Games Federation meeting on Monday.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino proposed during the online meeting for the event to formally open by May 12.

“As the debate went on, I suggested for a May 12 opening ceremony, a Monday,” Tolentino said. “The Vietnamese organizers will confirm the specific dates soon.”

Originally scheduled from November 21 to December 2 this year, the SEA Games, still set to take place in Hanoi, was moved to May due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Traditionally being done every odd-numbered year ever since its first staging in 1959, the 31st edition would mark the first time the event will happen in an even-numbered year.

A total of 520 events from 40 sports will take place in Hanoi with the Philippine team participating in 39 of the sports.

However, it is expected that the SEA Games will return to its usual every odd-numbered year schedule by the 32nd edition with Cambodia finally getting a chance to host the biennial meet.

But the 2023 host is set to hold the SEA Games at an earlier date, which posed a problem during the federation meeting since the May 2022 start to the Vietnam games has been set too.

For the newcomers on this website, I previously blogged about 2019 Southeast Asian Games (2019 SEA Games) mainly focused on the sport of triathlon which itself was added to the 31st SEA Games (refer to published news reports here and here, plus my own blog post here). The Philippines won the gold and silver medals in the 2019 SEA Games triathlon events for men and women and the gold in the mixed relay triathlon. The Philippines also won the gold, silver and bronze medals in the duathlon events for women, men and mixed relay respectively. In the first quarter of 2020, I featured SEA Games triathlon gold medalists Kim Mangrobang and John Chicano. Personally, I am anticipating the Philippines’ participation in the triathlon and duathlon events of the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Are you looking forward to the 31st SEA Games? What is the one sport you are looking forward to watch in the Hanoi SEA Games? Do you think that the Philippines will be able to win big in the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam? Are you willing to support the Philippine team athletes through the Ayuda sa Atleta program?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Philippine athletes who did not win medals at the Tokyo Olympics will still be rewarded

Philippine athletes who did not win medals at the Tokyo Olympics will still be rewarded

carlocarrasco

With so much focus on the respective Olympic victories of Hidilyn Diaz (gold in women’s weightlifting) and Nesthy Petecio (silver in women’s boxing) as well as the remaining chances of the Philippines to win more medals at the Tokyo Olympics, it is natural to forget all the other national athletes who failed to win any medals.

There is however a breakthrough for the non-medalists among the Philippine team members at the Olympics as it was announced yesterday that such athletes will actually be rewarded half-a-million Philippine pesos each thanks to the generosity of the MVP Sports Foundation. In short, the Olympic non-medalists will not go home empty handed (praise and thank the Lord).

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Philippine News Agency (PNA) report. Some parts in boldface…

For being part of the Philippines’ most successful Olympic campaign ever, even those who failed to land a podium finish in this year’s Tokyo Olympics will still receive a monetary reward.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) announced on Thursday that the MVP Sports Foundation will be giving away PHP500,000 each to the Olympic non-medalists.

“Everyone on Team Philippines in these ‘Golden Olympics’ deserve all the praises, and in this case, incentives, they need,” POC president Bambol Tolentino said. “Qualifying for the Olympics is already that difficult, what more competing in the Games themselves.”

Benefiting from this development are rowing’s Cris Nievarez, taekwondo’s Kurt Barbosa, skateboarding’s Margielyn Didal, shooting’s Jayson Valdez, gymnastics’ Carlos Yulo, boxing’s Irish Magno, judo’s Kiyomi Watanabe, weightlifting’s Elreen Ando, golf’s Juvic Pagunsan, athletics’ EJ Obiena (pole vault), Kristina Knott (200m run), and swimming’s Remedy Rule and Luke Gebbie.

The place in the history of the Philippines’ 2020 Tokyo Olympics team has been secured when Hidilyn Diaz won the country’s first-ever gold in the women’s 55-kg weightlifting event.

Nesthy Petecio added a silver in the women’s featherweight boxing event.

Still in the running for a medal are golfers Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan.

Pagdanganan finished the first round of the women’s golf event within striking distance of a Top 3 finish after going two-under-par 69 on Wednesday, good for a share of seventh place with Round 2 ongoing as of posting.

On the other hand, boxers Eumir Marcial and Carlo Paalam are already assured of medals as well but can still upgrade them to silver or even gold.

As you can see in the details above, the Philippine team of athletes at the Olympics is pretty small and yet it is the most successful in terms of medals achieved (including the nation’s first-ever Olympic gold medal). At the same time, it is only right for the athletes to be provided something not only because everyone is struggling during this COVID-19 pandemic but also because training for important sports events representing the country requires a lot of money for the years to come.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Do you think that the P500,000 incentive for each non-medalist is good enough? Do you think that more private enterprises should donate more to the non-medalists?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com