AFTER a major postponement due to the pandemic, a lot of heaves and hos and heavy soul searching on whether to push through with it or not, the XXXII Olympiad is finally coming off the block on Friday.
From where we are, we can watch the opening spectacle and the two-week long drama series on several platforms this year: free TV, Pay TV and online. The opening ceremony starts at 7 p.m. and it will be good to catch that even if it seems surreal without the mammoth crowds that grace this international biggie every four years.
Somehow, despite the big opposition to holding the event due to fears about worsening the spread of Covid 19, many are happy that the Games will push through. For one, athletes can’t postpone their “moment” or their peak shape to showcase their talents and give it all for their country. For another, it can be a big emotional boost for the world to come together and experience a moral victory over the virus. Just make sure that the strictest protocols are observed to prevent further spread, or limit it at least.
For Filipinos, this is a significant Olympics. Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Commissioner Ramon Fernandez said he is bearish about this one and confident about the competitive power of many of our athletes.
All eyes will be on seven sports where we have athletes who will represent us well—pole vault where Ernest Obiena, our first Olympic qualifier, is expected to shine; gymnastics where Carlos Yulo will sparkle; boxing, where Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam will make us proud; weightlifting, where Hidylin Diaz is just waiting for her moment in the sun; rowing where Cris Nievarez is expected to power our bid to glory; taekwondo where Kurt Barbosa’s grit and will power will see him through; and skateboarding where Margielyn Didal will give us a high.
PSC Chairman Butch Ramirez thinks this is one of the most prepared teams the country has formed in years. And the fact that 19 athletes qualified for the Tokyo Olympics—the biggest bunch after a long while—is testament to the preparations and the billions spent to support the athletes.
Contrary to claims and the buzz, the PSC spent around P2 billion after the last Olympics in 2016 to fund the training and development of athletes, resulting in the awesome performances of athletes like Nesthy Petacio and Caloy Yulo.
Could this be the year when the Philippines wins it first Olympic gold?
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THERE is a story behind that quest for Olympic Gold that needs to be told, says former PSC Chairman Aparicio Mequi. Have you heard of Project MILGOLD?
“In 1985, members of the UP Varsity Alumni Association led by the late Marcelino “Mars” Espino, formed the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame Board of Trustees chaired by the late Ambassador Danding Cojuangco, with members former President Fidel V. Ramos, Augusto “Tata Gus” Villanueva, banker Edgardo Espiritu, then Philippine Olympic Commission president Governor Jose Sering,” says Dr. Mequi.
“I was then Director of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports-Bureau of Sports Development. An offshoot of the Philippine Sports Hall Of Fame was Project MILGOLD, which offered a cash reward of one million pesos to the Filipino athlete who will win the first Olympic gold medal. Ed Espiritu of Metrobank was convinced by the group to put the amount in a time deposit and [he] agreed when he was told that it will take a long time for an athlete to succeed [so] the accrued interest over time would be more than enough to cover the initial P1 million. This proved to be true because it is only now in Year 2021 that it appears possible AFTER 36 years!”
Dr. Mequi said Project MILGOLD was inspired by a barber in Bulacan, who commented while giving a BSD staff his haircut: “Kung talagang gusto nilang manalo ng Olympic gold medal ang isang athlete natin, gaya ng isang boxer, ’pag bumagsak ang boxer, sigawan mo lang ng “Bangon,” one million! One million! At siguradong babangon at lalaban. Kaya dapat magkaroon ng one million cash prize!” the barber said.
And that’s what happened. The Alumni Association guys put their heads together and started the prize money incentive for Filipino athletes—which incidentally, has gotten bigger than ever with the combined commitments of the private sector to contribute to the rewards in store for athletes who will have podium finishes. Gold medal winners in Tokyo will now get a total of P30 million, silver medalists will get P15 million and bronze medalists P6 million.
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NOW the stage is set for the most unusual Olympiad of all. And not just our athletes, but our sports media as well, who are right there to get the full experience—no matter how unusual it may be for them. “It’s really very different,” says my buddy Riera Mallari, sports and tech editor of the Manila Standard. “Pagdating pa lang sa airport, parang ghost town [na]. Ang daming requirements: two negative RT-PCR tests, may ida-download ka na 4 apps, may written pledge pa na hindi ka gagawa ng hindi mabuti. Tsaka mismo sa Tokyo, on our way to our hotel, hindi mo mapi-feel ’yung Olympic spirit, halos walang tao sa kalsada, wala gaanong banners or billboards drumbeating the Olympics. Maybe sa mga venues, sa Olympic Village or sa Main Press Center, mas festive nang konti.”
Covid protocols are extra strict, reports Riera. “We are on our second day of a 3-day quarantine at the hotel. We are essentially in a bubble, kasi hotel to venues and back to hotel lang. We cannot go astray (not even to go to 7-Eleven to buy bento). Sobrang strict ang protocols. Kami sa media, we will be tested every four days, while athletes, coaches and officials, daily ang testing.”
All the bright boys of Philippine sports media are already in the trenches, ready for action, never mind if some of it will be virtual. Shoutout to our sports ed Jun Lomibao, Tito Talao of the Bulletin, Nelson Beltran of the Star, Francis Ochoa of the Inquirer and Dodo Catacutan of Spin,ph. who are already dug in, waiting for the most unique Games to begin.
Game on, boyz!