POC to raise funds for Olympic athletes
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 21 Jan 2012
The Philippine Olympic Committee will not seek funding from the government for the country?s participation in the coming 2012 Olympic Games this summer in London.
POC vice president and national delegation chef de mission to the Games Manny Lopez yesterday announced that the unprecedented move was brought about after the executive board, in its meeting last Wednesday, decided to raise the needed funds instead of availing of the P30 million pledged by the Philippine Sports Commission for the purpose.
?PSC chair Richie Garcia was in attendance in that Wednesday meeting (presided over by POC president Peping Cojuangco) where we told him of our plan to create a POC marketing arm for the purpose of generating funds to send our national contingent to London,? Lopez said during the SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura.
Heading the marketing arm is Tats Suzara, a former PSC staffer himself, who for the last few years worked in several countries overseas, Lopez told his audience during the session, sponsored by Coca Cola Export, FILA and UNTV.
Besides the funds expected to be raised, Lopez, vice of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP), the recognized national sports association in the sport which he headed for many years, the POC will also avail of the pledge of the London Olympic Games Organizing Committee to shoulder the expenses of all athletes going to the British capital to participate in the Games acknowledged as the ?Greatest Sports Show On Earth.?
?When London was bidding for the hosting of the 20012 Games, one of their promises was they will subsidize the participation of athletes from each country to tune of 787 pounds each,? Lopez disclosed.
?We will be availing that subsidy, so, that will lessen our funding problem,? he said, adding that one other source of funding that can be tapped is the Pre-Games Training Camp Fund being made available by the International Olympic Committee to all its member-countries.
?For the first time, the IOC is providing 25,000 pounds each member country to avail of as its subsidy. Magagamit pa din natin yun,? he added. ?Kaya nga palagay naming magkakasama sa POC walang magiging problema kung tungko din lamang sa gagastusin sa ating participasyon sa London.?
?Sayang nga, eh kung kailan pa naming may subsidy na ganito ay saka iilan lamang na atleta ang ating maipadadala,?; Lopez lamented in reference to seemingly small delegation the country can muster. So far, Lopez said that only five are sure to make the trip to London with boxer Mark Anthony Barriga and long jumper Maristela Torres heading the list.
Another male athlete in athletics and a pair (one man and one woman) in swimming, who are all still to be named will also definitely join the trip.
?Both athletics and swimming are mandatory sports that?s why they are given a slot each in the men?s and women?s events as automatic qualifiers,? he explained, clarifying though that the list might still be expanded in the coming qualifying competitions in some sports as well as avenues sports associations concerned may avail of.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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