RSA: Paris Olympics breakthrough possible
LONGTIME sports patron Ramon S. Ang believes the country is geared to win more gold medals in the Paris Olympics as he paid tribute to all Filipino athletes particularly those who were honored during Monday’s San Miguel Corp.philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night.
Ang, SMC President and Chief Executive Officer, received his second PSA Executive of the Year award and this time, he shared it with Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) Chairman and President Manuel V. Pangilinan as their partnership paved the way for the men’s basketball gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last October.
He said the Paris Games will mark the 100th year of Philippine participation in the Olympics as the country aims to replicate the gold medal-winning feat of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz in Tokyo 2020.
“Everything is possible when all the country’s stakeholders work together. It was just three years ago when Hidilyn Diaz shone in Tokyo for our first gold in the Olympics,” Ang said. “And just last year, we grabbed the Asian Games gold in basketball that eluded us for 61 years. So I think another breakthrough is possible.”
“That gold medal was the result of the hard work and effort of not just the players and coaching staff, but most especially, MVP himself,” he said. “The Gilas Pilipinas program is really his brainchild, and without his vision, commitment and patriotism to see the program through all these years, we probably would not have a champion Gilas team.”
“We are proud to have been given the opportunity to be part of it, and we thank MVP for lifting Philippine basketball to greater heights,” he added.
At the invitation of Pangilinan, Ang supported the country’s successful co-hosting of the FIBA Basketball World Cup when Philippine team shared the spotlight with the world’s best teams.
“I thank the PSA for the honor and dedicate it to the Gilas Pilipinas team who worked so hard to bring home the gold medal in the face of tough odds,” said Ang, who was conferred his first PSA Executive of the Year Award in 2017.
He added: “I hope the amazing feat of Philippine basketball team will also inspire our athletes to go for more gold medals in Paris.”
To honor the country’s Olympic medal winners in Tokyo, Ang provided P22 million in incentives—including
P10 million to weightlifter Diaz.
Boxers Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio also got P5 million each for winning silver medals while Eumir Marcial earned P2 million for his bronze medal feat.