Twenty-two days from now, 17 Filipino athletes – hopefully two more in swimming – will start their Tokyo Olympics campaign – all of them ready and fired up for the greatest competition of their lives and the entire delegation secured of its more than three-week stay in the Japanese capital.
“In three weeks, the urn in Tokyo will be burning and Team Philippines – from the athletes and coaches down to the secretariat are ready for action,” Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said on Thursday.
Chef de Mission Mariano Araneta will lead a first batch of officials which will be flying to Tokyo via Narita Airport on July 15 and will head directly to Conrad Hotel, Team Philippines’ official home during the July 23 to August 28 Games.
Joining Araneta are team doctor Randy Molo, POC general manager and Secondary Olympic Attache Dinah Remolacio, Covid-19 Liaison Officer (CLO) chief Atty. Billy Sumagui, Games Management Officer and Secondary CLO Martin Gregorio and Protocol Officer and Secondary Activity Monitoring Officer Jarryd Bello.
“The POC and the Philippine Sports Commission [PSC] secured the Conrad Hotel just in time and we’re glad that has been accomplished,” Tolentino said. “In terms of administrative and secretariat matters, we’re all settled.”
The PSC transferred on Thursday P11 million for the accommodation expense of Team Philippines from the total P48 million allocation for participation. The entire PSC budget for the Olympic campaign is pegged at P200 million.
The athletes will also arrive in Tokyo in batches depending on their competition schedule.
The country expected to have two more swimmers on the team as provided for by the International Olympic Committee universality rule.
The Tokyo Olympics-bound Filipinos are golfers Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan and Juvic Pagunsan, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Caloy Yulo, rower Cris Nievarez, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, skateboarder Margie Didal, shooter Jayson Valdez, runner Kristina Knott, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, weightlifters Hidilyn Diaz and Elreen Ando and boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam.
