PHILIPPINE judo got a shot in the arm as Phoenix Petroleum has agreed to become a ’godfather’ of the sport.
Philippine Judo Federation president Dave Carter said Phoenix president and chief executive officer Dennis Uy has agreed to become the chairman of the federation where he will support the four national athletes through the Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation.
The four athletes are Southeast Asian Games gold medalists Kiyomi Watanabe and Mariya Takahashi, Sugen Nakano, and Kessei Nakano. The Fil-Japanese judokas are training in Japan.
Carter said Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William Ramirez initiated the move to have Uy, who is also the presidential adviser for sports, on board even before the formal launching of the foundation recently.
“We are very thankful with the kind of support that we are getting. It’s overwhelming,” said Carter during the Philippine Sports Commission-Philippine Olympic Committee Media Group sports chat.
The four judokas are part of the 29 athletes identified by Sikab Atleta Pilipinas Foundation to be financed through the help of private funds in its bid to produce the country’s first gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.