Philippines offer US$220,000 for gold medal
The Philippine government and the private sector are offering 9.5mil pesos (US$220,000) to any athlete who brings home the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal, an official said yesterday.

The Philippines have not won an Olympic gold since their first Games, at Paris in 1924. The most recent medal of any colour was silver in boxing in Atlanta in 1996.

“This is an incentive. The first gold winner will get the money,” said Philippine Olympic Committee spokesman Joey Romasanta.

The government pledged 5mil pesos (US$116,000) and the rest came from donations from the private sector, Romasanta said.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported other donors included tycoon Lucio Tan, Microsoft Philippines Inc. and boxer Manny Pacquiao, who in June won the WBC lightweight title.

Pacquiao will lead a 15-member Philippine Olympic team in the Aug. 8 opening of the Beijing Games.

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Country Report: Olympic Qualifiers from the Philippines

Just 108 days before the Beijing Olympics opens, the Philippines only has 12 qualifiers to show—and only three of them possess solid chances at winning the country’s first ever gold medal in the quadrennial games.

But chief of mission Monico Puentevella said on Tuesday the lean but mean delegation can still pull it off with taekwondo and boxing as the brightest spots.

“Even in the world of sports miracles do happen. Don’t lose hope. And let us not raise false hopes,” said Puentevella during the PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Avenue.

The Philippines has gone home empty-handed during the last two Olympics in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. The last time the country won a medal was through Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco, who took the silver in boxing in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Now, however, the Philippines has only one bet in boxing in Harry Tañamor (light flyweight) and Puentevella admitted that it’s going to be an arduous task.

The country sent four boxers each in the 2000 and 2004 Olympiads—including Tañamor—and still went home medal-less.

“It’s a long hard climb. This is probably going to be the toughest Olympics in modern history,” admitted Puentevella, who is also the first vice president of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Taekwondo is also sending its leanest team in three Olympics with Tshomlee Go and Mary Antoinette Rivero, who both competed in the Athens Games.

“This is going to be a lean and mean group with probably just a maximum of 15 athletes,” said Puentevella, also the weightlifting president.

Two slots will be reserved for athletics even if no Filipino athlete qualifies as participation in the centerpiece event is a requirement by the International Olympic Committee.

The other athletes who have so far qualified for Beijing are swimmers Miguel Molina, James Walsh, Ryan Arabejo, Daniel Coakley and Christel Simms, divers Sheila Mae Perez and Ryan Rexel Fabriga, archer Mark Javier and shooter Eric Ang.