President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directed on Friday the Office of the Executive Secretary to provide additional funding to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to support the preparation and participation of Filipino athletes in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
President Marcos led the send-off ceremony for the nine out of 15 Filipino athletes representing the Philippines in the Paris Olympics on June 21, 2024.
“So, on top of all these efforts, I direct the Office of the Executive Secretary to release to the Philippine Sports Commission [additional] funds to help support the preparation and participation of our athletes in these upcoming Olympics,” President Marcos said during the event at the Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros.
“All of these demonstrate this commitment that we have to the advancement of Filipino athletes by equipping them with the tools and encouragement to realize their full potential,” he added.
The additional support is on top of the previous investment on sports development, such as the grant of PhP52 million for the preparation, training, and participation of Filipino athletes in the 2024 Paris Olympics, he said.
For this year alone, the government has invested P1.156 billion in sports, through the PSC, to fund the aspirations and future of Filipino athletes.
“We continue to rehabilitate our major sports facilities, such as the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex [and] the PhilSports Complex, to give our youth a fitting stage to improve and to showcase their talents,” said President Marcos.
“And, presently, we are finishing the National Academy of Sports System in Tarlac and the Philippine Sports Training Center in Bataan to train, to hone, and to develop present and aspiring athletes for future competitions,” he stated.
The President also encouraged all Filipinos to rally behind the country’s athletes as they compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, noting that the country is not chasing medals, but sprinting towards making history, bringing honor to the country, and inspiring the nation.
“To our athletes: You carry our hopes and dreams to Paris, you also carry with you the banner of our nation that believes in you, stands proudly beside you, and celebrates your every triumph, and is with you through any obstacle,” he said, urging them to show to the world what Filipinos are made of.
The 2024 Paris Olympics will run from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Among the first competitions to take place include boxing, gymnastics, and rowing.
The Philippines first joined the Olympics on May 4, 1924, making 2024 the 100th year of the country’s participation in the prestigious sporting event.
For a century, the Philippines has won 14 medals. Of these, the first and only gold medal was won by Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics women’s 55-kilogram weightlifting category.
The other medalists in the same Olympic event include Nesthy Petecio (Silver), Carlo Paalam (Silver), and Eumir Felix Marcial (Bronze), who are also part of the Philippine delegation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. *| PND*
