TOKYO - Everybody happy.
Rep. Bambol Tolentino made sure no Filpino athlete will come home from the Tokyo Olympics empty-handed, saying non-medalists will be given P500,000 each by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the MVP Sports Foundation.
The POC president said everyone in the 19-man Philippine delegation that guaranteed the most successful Olympic campaign ever deserve recognition.
“Everyone on Team Philippines in these ‘Golden Olympics’ deserve all the praises, and in this case, incentives, they need,” Tolentino said. “Qualifying for the Olympics is already that difficult, what more competing in the Games themselves."
Best Philippine campaign ever
Set to receive the incentives are rower Cris Nievarez, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, skateboarder Margielyn Didal, shooting’s Jayson Valdez, gymnast Carlos Yulo, boxing’s Irish Magno, judo’s Kiyomi Watanabe, weightlifting’s Elreen Ando, golf’s Juvic Pagunsan, athletics’ EJ Obiena (pole vault), and Kristina Knott (200m) and swimming’s Remedy Rule and Luke Gebbie.
Tolentino made the announcement as an unprecedented Philippine campaign winds down to the matches of boxers Eumir Marcial and Carlo Paalam in the medal rounds and Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan in women's golf.
The Philippines has already won a first-ever gold medal from weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and a silver from boxer Nesthy Petecio, which, combined with the guaranteed medals of Eumir Marcial and Carlo Paalam, assured the country's most prolific campaign ever, eclipsing the three-bronze finish in 1932 in Los Angeles.
All medalists have been assured of incentives that runs in the millions.
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