Sustaining the support that athletes received in preparing for the 30th Southeast Asian Games will be the main concern of the Philippine Sports Commission.
This is especially important with members of the national team seeking to qualify to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez said this as the government sports agency shifts its focus on the ongoing preparations of many athletes, who are joining Olympic qualifiers in the coming months.
“By spending properly for the athletes in their exposures, they will surely deliver,” said Ramirez.
Funds amounting to P100 million will be made available for the training of athletes who will qualify, train and take part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The financial assistance was guaranteed by President Rodrigo Duterte following the successful campaign Filipino athletes in the recent biennial meet.
In supporting the campaign for the Olympics, the government sports agency will be providing for the needs of athletes in terms of nutrition, strength and conditioning, and rehabilitation from injuries.
Ramirez hopes that the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation will continue to support the sports agency.
In the preparations for the SEA Games, PAGCOR released funds amounting to P1.5 billion.
The Philippines won 149 golds, 117 silvers, and 121 bronzes to claim the overall title in the biennial tournament held in the country for the fourth time.
Meanwhile, Cynthia Carrion who serves as both a POC executive board member and president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines, is confident that the support similar to what Filipino athletes received in the recent SEA Games will continue.
“It’s a little different now. Our facilities now are nice. The government built wonderful facilities for our athletes. They’re bringing them abroad, and they saw what our organizing committee went through to make sure everything goes well,” said Carrion.
The GAP is gearing up for the ongoing preparations of Carlos Yulo, who is the first of two qualifiers so far for the Tokyo Olympics.