Tolentino: ‘24 tough, achievable challenge

MANILA, Philippines —  Major breakthroughs on the international stage made the country proud in 2023 and with the Paris Olympics just around the corner, the Philippines stares at a tough yet achievable challenge in 2024.

“From a scale of 1 to 10, I give Filipino athletes a high mark of 8.5 to 9 for 2023,” Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino told RP2 Sports Radio’s Headline Sports in his first live interview in the new year early this week.

Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, the first Filipino to qualify for Paris, shone brightest in 2023 with his record-breaking performances at the Hangzhou Asian Games and Cambodia Southeast Asian Games and a historic men’s pole vault silver at the world championships.

The national men’s basketball team also ranked high on Tolentino’s list following Gilas Pilipinas’s gold medal in Hangzhou, the first for the country since the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta.

“But all these gold medals, these achievements belong to all of us, all Filipinos, all of those who prayed hard,” he said. “It was all about the athletes’ and Team Philippines’ dedication, motivation and inspiration.”

But then Tolentino sees 2024 as a tough challenge with the Paris Olympics just around the corner.

“This will be a tough year for us, Paris is just around the corner,” he said. “And before we get there, there are tough competitions for our athletes to qualify.”