TEAM Philippines hopes lightning does strike twice.
After renewing its partnership with Asics as official outfitter, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino is keeping his fingers crossed the collaboration will result in the country winning its first-ever gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
Official PH outfitter
The congressman from the eighth district of Cavite vividly remembers how the country won the overall championship of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games with the Japanese sports brand providing the complete uniform for the entire Team Philippines during the biennial meet here.

Hopefully, history repeats itself as the Olympics formally kicks off two weeks from now.
“In the SEA Games, we were overall champions and we were all wearing Asics. There’s some kind of luck with having Asics and Sonak Corporation as partners,” said Tolentino following the recently POC contract signing with Sonak Corporation.
The POC chief trusts the cooperation with Asics brings good fortune to produce the country’s first Olympic gold medal since it first began competing in the quadrennial meet in the 1924 Paris Games.
The 19-athlete Philippine delegation along with top sports officials from the POC will be wearing the Asics training apparel and competition uniforms during the July 23 to August 8 Olympics through the initiative of Sonak Corp father-and-son owners Anil and Kabir Buxani.
“Our world-athletes deserve to have world-class clothing as they aim to bring home medals from the Olympics,” said Anil Buxani during the unveiling of the Asics training gear and uniforms hosted by the POC.
Asics Philippines is now the official footwear and apparel partner of the Philippine delegation to the Tokyo Games.
According to Kabir, the firm will provide caps, jackets, shirts, socks, shoes, luggage, and two sets of track suits for each Olympic-bound Filipino athletes apart from outfitting the rest of the national contingent.
“We are sponsoring all of the delegates to the Olympics with full attire for training and even for actual competitions,” said Kabir Buxani.
Rower Cris Nievarez and air rifle shooter Jayson Valdez were dapper in parading the Asics track suits during the media digital unveiling recently which was also attended by Team Philippines Chef De Mission Nonong Araneta and POC Secretary General Atty. Ed Gastanes.
“On behalf of the athletes and officials, I would like to thank Asics. It is a partnership blessed with good fortune. Maybe this is it,” said Tolentino, confident of Team Philippines winning its first ever gold in the Tokyo Olympics.
Pole vaulter EJ Obiena and judoka Kiyomi Watanabe were named flag-bearers in the opening ceremony to be held on July 23.
Gymnast Carlos Yulo, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, golfers Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan, and Juvic Pagunsan, boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, Eumir Marcial, and Irish Magno will also carry the national colors in Tokyo.
Joining them are skateboarder Margielyn Didal, swimmers Luke Gebbie and Remedy Rule, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, trickster Kristina Knott, and weightlifter Elreen Ando.
“Bring home the gold medal. Everybody from among our athletes can deliver,” added Tolentino.
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