FOR nearly three years, Filipino sports fans have been seeing the Go for Gold logo on jerseys of some athletes in a number of sports disciplines like basketball, cycling triathlon and even skateboard.
What seems to be a fitting battlecry for the country's never-ending hunt for the elusive Olympic gold, interestingly, is a Scratch It card product that the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office also endorses.
But in just a span of two years, Go for Gold has showed its Mida’s Touch when it comes to helping Filipino athletes excel worldwide.
The company of businessman and former athlete Jeremy Go has been behind some of the country’s international and local successes in atleast seven sporting disciplines last year.
Dragonboat
5 golds – ICF World Dragonboat Championships, Georgia USA
Sepak Takraw
1 gold – World Championships, Thailand
Skateboard
1 gold – Margie Didal, 18th Asian Games, Indonesia
Wrestling
2 golds –Asian Indoor Martial Arts, Singapore
6 golds – Southeast Asian Senior Wrestling Championships, Laguna, Philippines
33 golds – Southeast Asian Wrestling and Grappling Championships, San Pablo, Laguna
Triathlon
1 gold – John Leerams Chicano, Tri-Factor International Triathlon, China
1 gold – Nikko Huelgas, National Age Group Triathlon-Elite
Cycling
1 gold – Jonel Carcueva (Elite) Tour de Linggarjati, Indonesia
1 gold – Rex Luis Krog (Junior) Tour de Linggarjati, Indonesia
Basketball
Champion – Go for Gold, PBA Dleague
Go for Gold also won a handful of silvers and bronzes in the mentioned tournaments and in events they participated in 2018.
But how did the group start supporting riders?
Go, who is the vice president for marketing of Powerball Marketing and Logistics Corporation, bared that their support for Filipino athletes began when riders approached them for help.
“One of the sports that needs support talaga is cycling, mahal ang gamit nila. Tapos they need financial backing so they can compete in races set in different areas,” recalled Go.
"So I helped them, kasi may Storck Store Manila bikeshop naman sa may Shaw Boulevard tapos after nun, that was around 2016, there was a suggestion na gawin nang team yung mga tinutulungan namin, so Go for Gold was born,” he said.
But the request for assistance snowballed.
“Sumunod na tinulungan namin yung triathlon, kasi kissing cousin siya ng cycling tapos nagsunod-sunod na, then we also supported skateboard sila Margie [Didal] then meron na kaming basketball tapos wrestling and sepak takraw,” he said.
Apart from athletes under the Philippine Sports Commision, Go for Gold has also supported a PBA D League team, which became only the eighth team to win a title in the eight-year league after winning the Foundation Cup last August.
The Go for Gold cycling team has been named the newest UCI continental team, something that will amplify the country's bid for a return stint to Olympic cycling.
Apart from supporting athletes, Go for Gold is also actively supporting different leagues like the newly established Larga Pilipinas, a cycling event for all enthusiasts, LBC Ronda Pilipinas, MPBL and even barangay leagues.
“Hindi kasi kailangang sikat na sport lang ang tutulungan mo. Napakarami kasing atleta sa Pilipinas. Nakakalungkot isipin na basketball at boxing lang ang nabibigyan ng attention. There are other sports na Filipinos are capable of achieving world-wide fame,” he said.
Go for Gold head of sports Ednalyn Hualda bared that one of the philosophies of their company is to step in wherever the government support is lacking.
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