Tokyo Olympics best chance for Philippine boxers

MANILA, Philippines — The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines or ABAP is keeping its fingers crossed that the Tokyo Olympics will push through in July next year.

“I’m just hoping that the Olympics will push through because this is our best chance,” ABAP president Ricky Vargas told yesterday’s online version of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.

Vargas was reacting to wire reports saying that over half of Tokyo residents that took part in a recent survey are not comfortable with the staging of the Olympics in 2021.

They either backed a “further delay or an outright cancellation” of the Tokyo Olympics.

The Philippines has qualified two boxers in Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno to the Tokyo Games, and is hoping for a few more to make the grade, including Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, Rogen Ladon, and Ian Clark Bautista.

“When I look at our boxers, we were ready (for Tokyo 2020),” said Vargas, who was joined in the forum by ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson.

But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, everything came to a halt, including the rest of the qualifying tournaments.

“We lost steam,” said Vargas.

Vargas said it’s difficult to pin their hopes on a vaccine for things to be even close to what they used to be.

“Mahirap hintayin yung vaccine. They may have the vaccine but normally it takes years before we’d like to risk ourselves in getting the vaccine,” he added.

“It’s very sad if the Olympics will not push through at least next year,” Vargas said.