MANILA, Philippines - POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr. said the other day the outlook is bright for the Philippines in preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a supportive government, a wealth of lessons learned from the Rio experience and a fresh drive inspired by weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz’ silver medal finish.
Cojuangco said in Rio, his eyes were opened to new ways of approaching the Olympics with the goal of giving athletes an added edge in the final days leading to the actual competition. POC first vice president and Philippine Olympic delegation chef de mission Joey Romasanta said Cojuangco was impressed with the total systems approach that Brazil and Japan used in getting their athletes ready for action.
Japan finished No. 6 in the medal standings with 12 gold, eight silver and 21 bronze. Brazil was No. 13 with seven gold, six silver and six bronze. The Philippines was No. 69 with Diaz’ silver. Only 78 nations had at least a bronze in Rio with 120 returning home empty-handed. Among the countries that failed to collect a single medal were Lebanon, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Chile, Cameroon, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Brunei.
Cojuangco said he found a Brazilian blood-testing technique particularly useful in determining the condition of an athlete. “Just a few drops of blood will give you an idea of an athlete’s condition,” he said. “It’s a blood sampling procedure. The Brazilians used this machine for a complete diagnosis of an athlete’s condition using his blood sample. I myself was tested and my results showed exactly my state of health. The Brazilians had a command center where they laid out the schedule of every athlete so they knew how to keep an athlete in top condition leading to the day of competition.”
Cojuangco said the scientific approach is critical in maximizing an athlete’s ability to perform at his full potential. He pointed out that while there was no doubt that the 13 Filipino athletes were committed to win in Rio, some of them appeared to be burned out or not in their peak condition. Cojuangco said technology is available to prepare an athlete for competition at his peak level.
“We’ve talked with Brazilian officials about introducing the blood testing system in the Philippines,” he said. “We’ll work out a way where they could come over to visit us, maybe thrice a year, so we can use this technology for our benefit. This will be useful in preparing us for 2020.”
Another initiative that Cojuangco sealed in Rio was a Memorandum of Agreement signed with the Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) headed by Tsunokazu Takeda. The POC and the JOC held formal talks to forge an agreement where both countries would exchange technology in sports and share best training practices. The MOA will enable Filipino athletes to work out at the 29,058-square meter Ajinomoto Training Center in Tokyo. The Center has facilities for wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, judo, table tennis, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, swimming, fencing, shooting, rowing, tennis and athletics with a 448-room Athletes Village and a 260-seat dining lounge. The Center is also home to the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences.
Takeda’s background is equestrian and he is a close friend of Cojuangco’s daughter Mikee, an IOC member. The MOA is timely as Tokyo will host the next Olympics.
“In Rio, I saw how Japan got their athletes ready,” said Cojuangco. “While the athletes stayed in the Olympic Village, the Japanese rented a compound about 30 to 40 minutes away. The facilities in the compound included a tennis court, a swimming pool and a warehouse they converted into a weights room and gym. They had their own cook so Japanese food was available. It was like a home away from home for the Japanese athletes. In the Olympic Village, you had food available 24 hours a day but after a few days, you got tired of it. The Japanese thought of this facility as an alternative for the athletes to keep their competitive edge. This is something we might consider to do in the future.”
Cojuangco said he was disappointed with the showing of Filipino boxers Charly Suarez and Rogen Ladon. Suarez lost on a split decision in what appeared to be a poor strategy in the homestretch while Ladon lacked steam in failing to put pressure on his opponent. Cojuangco said what Ladon needed to do was what Randy Turpin did in beating the highly-favored Sugar Ray Robinson in their world middleweight title fight in 1951. Turpin outworked Robinson in carving out the huge upset. Ladon seemed to be burned out from the start. Cojuangco said spending over a month of hard training in the US just before heading for Rio could have gassed out Ladon.
In taekwondo, Cojuangco said it was Kirstie Elaine Alora’s luck to draw the top seed in her first bout. Alora lost as expected but in her second match, she did enough to win but lost on points. “The points are registered in a computer that reads the sensors on the fighters,” he said. “I thought Elaine landed more than her opponent so I can’t understand why she lost. This is something the officials must address.”
Cojuangco said with President Duterte’s support for sports, he’s upbeat on the future, particularly as the rise of a National Training Center now appears imminent. Cojuangco and former PSC chairman Richie Garcia pushed for the Center during the previous administration but the government never acted on it.