By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann hopes the country’s successful campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics would create more awareness and support for less popular sports.
Bachmann said Carlos Yulo’s double gold-medal victory in men’s artistic gymnastics and the bronze medals won by boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas showcase the talent and potential of Filipino athletes beyond more popular sports such as basketball and volleyball.
“With this happening, winning in gymnastics and boxing, it’s basically creating awareness that we also have a lot of sports that can actually win medals for us,” said Bachmann during a special session of the PSA Forum on Thursday, Aug. 22, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
He shared that when the government sports agency goes to local government units (LGUs) to introduce sports, most people usually want to see basketball and volleyball.
“But by winning in international competitions like the Olympics, it gives people a little awareness that a lot of people can actually support other sports and become national athletes,” Bachmann said.
As of last year, the government has actually spent P158 million for the preparation, training and participation in the qualifying tournament and the Paris Olympics for all sports.
The PH team’s successful stint in Paris also makes it easier for the PSC to get more funding, not only for sustaining the programs of elite athletes but also for bolstering the country’s grassroots program.
The PSC has also been in the process of rehabilitating the sports facilities and athletes’ dormitories at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.
Bachmann also hopes the country can sustain its showing in the Olympics, having won gold medals in two consecutive editions. In the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games, the PH team won its first Olympic gold medal courtesy of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, as well as two silver (Petecio and Carlo Paalam) and one bronze (Eumir Marcial) from boxing.
“If I would rate our performance in Paris, I would give it a gold,” he said.
