The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Robert Andaya
THE five-man Philippine boxing team is capable of a podium finish in the coming Paris Olympics.
This was the assessment of Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) secretary-general Marcus Jarwin Manalo when asked about the chances of the Filipino boxers seeing action in the prestigious competition scheduled July 26-August 11 in Paris.
“We’re very optimistic that this is really a strong five that we’re bringing to the Paris Olympics.” said Manalo during the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila last Tuesday.
“With the five boxers we have, we feel we have a very good chance to podium and to go all the way,” added Manalo , who was accompanied in the forum by Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Nesthy Petecio and first-timers Aira Villegas, and Hergie Bacyadan.
The three boxers will be joined in Paris by Carlo Paalam, who captured a silver medal and Eumir Marcial, who bagged a bronze medal in Tokyo.
While believing Petecio (57 kg), Paalam (57 kg), and Marcial (80 kg), along withVillegas (50 kg) and Bacyadan (75 kg), have a good chance of finally delivering the sport’s first ever gold medal, Manalo and coach Ronald Chavez stopped short of guaranteeing a medal.
“Itong dala naming lima, pinaka-malakas ito na team. Hindi ako magbabanggit ng medalya kung anumang kulay siya. Basta itong lima, siguradong magde-deliver,” said Chavez during the session presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, Smart/PLDT, and ArenaPlus, the leading sports entertainment gateway in the country.
Petecio also expressed guarded optimism.
“Alam kong hindi ganun kadali ngayon yung pag-dadaanan ko sa Paris, especially iba siya sa Tokyo. Kasi sa Tokyo wala siyang exposure halos, walang laro, walang multi-training na ginawa. Ngayon open na. So hindi basta-basta gaya ng iniisip ng iba,” explained the 32-year-old Petecio.
“Iba na yung level ng mga boxers ngayon. Kung may pinaka-maliit pa na butas ng karayom na pagdadaanan ko, mas maliit pa yung daan na gagawin ko dito,” added Petecio, who was also joined in the same public sports program by coaches Chavez, Don Abnett and Reynaldo Galido.
Both Bacyadan and Villegas agree with Petecio’s observations.
“Hindi naman talaga basta-basta yung makakalaban namin dun. Kaya sa akin kailangan ko pang mapunan kung ano yung kakulangan ko para prepare ako pagdating sa Paris,” said the 28-year-old Bacyadan, a world vovinam champion.
Added Villegas, “First time akong mag Olympics, pero halos lahat ng nasa weight category ko nakalaban ko na rin. And mga world champion din yung mga nandun, and ako baguhan pa lang naman.”
ABAP officials said the boxing team will leave with the rest of the Philippine delegation on June 22 for their month-long training in Metz, France.
But the boxers won’t stay that long in the French city as they leave for Germany on August 1 for a multi-nation training camp with other boxers who also qualified to the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann and Commissioner Friz Gaston also personally attended the forum to express their support to the athletes
One of the support the PSC will render to all the Paris-bound athletes, Olympics and Paralympic Games, is the conduct of the Invitational Golf Cup set to be held in Canlubang Golf and Country Club, this coming Friday, which is expected to be a gathering of personalities from various sports sectors.
“Lahat ng sponsors, major supporters, shareholders, celebrities po ang mga dadalo. We are not just confined within golfers, talagang lahat ng involved sa sports. Kaya napakaganda nitong event na ito,” explained Gaston.