2020 Moment of reckoning

MANILA, Philippines — From its golden showing in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, Team Phl will not rest on its laurels as it is to embark on a serious mission to nail an elusive first gold medal in the Olympics.

“The POC (Philippine Olympic Committee) will partner with the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission), the government and the private sector to make sure we would achieve our goal of winning our very first Olympic gold in Tokyo,” said POC Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

The same formula was used, with the POC, the national sports associations, the PSC and private backers putting in their shares in an effort that resulted to the outstanding overall performance by the Filipino athletes in the recent SEAG.

Tolentino said they would surely try their best to keep the momentum going all the way to the Olympic proper with a hope of winning a first gold medal for the country.

The POC chief said a cash bonanza would be there to make the Filipino bets more motivated in chase of the Tokyo goal.

By law, an Olympic gold medal is worth a fortune for a Filipino – P10 million just from the government.

Add a house and lot from the POC.

“In the housing project, yes,” said Tolentino.

Filipino medalists received a windfall for their victorious campaign in the 30th SEAG where the country emerged the overall champion for the second time in the history of the biennial meet with a record haul of 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze medals.

The POC gave an incentive for Filipino gold medal winners in the SEAG for the very first time, apart from the P300,000 they received as mandated by Republic Act 10699 or the Expanded Athletes and Coaches Incentives Act and almost the same amount from the MVP Sports Foundation and President Duterte.

In the Olympics, a gold is almost a hundred times more.

No less than the Chief Executive himself promised P100 million to bankroll the training of the 2020 Tokyo Games-bound Filipino athletes.

Pole-vaulter EJ Obiena and world champion gymnast Caloy Yulo have qualified to the Tokyo Games and more are expected to follow suit including 2016 Rio silver medal-winning weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, world champion boxer Nesthy Petecio, World Championship runner-up Eumir Felix Marcial and skateboarder Margie Didal.

Also eyeing Olympic slots are the judokas headed by Fil-Japanase Kiyomi Watanabe, golfer Yuka Saso and some more from track and field including Fil-Am sprinter Kristina Knott, who set a new SEAG and Philippine record in the women’s 200m.

And Tolentino is also lending hand to make sure the long wait for an Olympic gold would end this year.