Philippines' Olympic future even brighter amid launch of MILO's latest sports grassroots initiative
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Is a 200-man Philippine delegation to the Olympics a possibility?
A commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) surely thinks so.
PSC commissioner Edward Hayco said that he actually believes a 200-man delegation “can be done,” as long as different sectors work together.
During a press conference after the launch of the Milo Active Pilipinas 2025 here, Hayco said that as long as various sectors work hand-in-hand, the Philippines could bring more athletes to the Olympics moving forward.
“Right now, sports stakeholders operate separately. Let's be candid about it. Separately… We need to be one,” he told reporters.
Hayco told the story of a grassroots program in Cebu City, where weightlifters Elreen Ando and John Ceniza were discovered.
He said that during his visit to the “very ordinary gym”, an official from the Philippine Olympic Committee told him about Ando and Ceniza. And fast forward to last year, the two competed in Paris.
“You should see it. It's where Ando and Ceniza come from. We were able to send two Olympians to Paris from a very ordinary gym. They were sent to the Philippine team. Had that guy attended, I don't even know him. Had he not done that, Ceniza and Ando would still be in that grassroots program,” he said.
“If we connect with POC (Philippine Olympic Committee) and NSA (National Sports Association), we will have more quality athletes. More will be discovered. That's my point. Instead of 20, it can be 50, 100, 200,” he said.
Last year, 22 Filipinos competed in Paris. There, Carlos Yulo brought home two gold medals for gymnastics, while boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas copped bronzes.
And now, with the launch of the Milo Active Pilipinas, more children across the nation are called to have better, more active lifestyles, which could result in more national athletes for years to come.
The program was made possible in partnership with the PSC, the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Department of Education.
“So we are really grateful that we are part of discovering not just the now talents, but also the next generation of talents. So a lot of them started with Milo sports clinics, and in Visayas and Mindanao,