FOUR major sports, including two which accounted for the Philippines' three gold medals in the Olympics, will make its way to the calendar of sports for NCAA Season 101.
Gymnastics, weightlifting, boxing, and golf are going to be part of the 'Grand Ol' League's' sports events, as it gears towards the next century.
The four medal-rich sports will serve as demo sports, but with the immediate goal of being included in the regular calendar of events.
Gymnastics and weightlifting were responsible for giving the Philippines its three gold medals in the Olympics courtesy of Carlos Yulo and Hidilyn Diaz.
The 34-year-old Diaz made history by scoring a breakthrough for the country in the Summer Games when she bagged the gold in the women’s 55kg division of the 2020 Tokyo Olympiad.
Yulo raised the ante in Paris four years later by becoming the first Filipino to win two Olympic golds by topping the men’s floor exercise and vault events.
Boxing has also been a staple medal source for the country in major international tournaments and actually produced the most number of Olympic medals, including four silvers through Anthony Villanueva, Mansueto ‘Onyok’ Velasco, Nesthy Petecio, and Carlo Paalam.
Golf, meanwhile, made a major impact in the 2024 Paris Games, as Bianca Pagdanganan narrowly missed a podium finish when she placed fourth in women’s golf, dislodged by a single stroke for the bronze by China’s Lin Xiyu.
Philippine sports grassroots development
A Memorandum of Agreement is scheduled to be signed today between the NCAA Management Committee (ManCom) and the Philippine Sports Commission for the inclusion of the four sports this season.
ManCom Chairman Melchor Divina of host Mapua and PSC Chairman Patrick Gregorio will spearhead the MoA signing at the school's grounds in Intramuros.
So far, the NCAA has 15 sports in its season calendar, namely basketball, football, swimming, track and field, taekwondo, poomsae, chess, lawn tennis, soft tennis, table tennis, badminton, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheerleading, and streetdance.
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