Dennis Uy: Siklab Atleta brainchild
For sports patron Dennis Uy, sports adviser of President Rodrigo Duterte, the government and private sector should work hand in hand in sustaining a program to discover new talents and develop them to be world-class athletes for various international competitions.
Uy made this clear as he pointed out that putting a sports program in place will stand the test of time even if there is a change in leadership in the country.
“There has always been an abundance of skill and potential among athletes in the Philippines,” said Uy via email from abroad.
“However, due to several factors such as lack of facilities, support, funding and coordination, many athletes remain undiscovered, and performance of professional players in international competitions is greatly affected,” he said.
“Regardless of the administration we are in, coordination and consistency among private sports organizations and governing agencies are crucial if we want a better and improved state of Philippine sports.”
So far, the Philippine Sports Commission, the government arm in sports under Chairman Butch Ramirez, is doing its part in uncovering fresh talents from the grassroots for development to sports events like the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Asian Games and the Olympics.
Uy said that with the way Filipino athletes are performing now in various sports competitions, there’s a strong chance the country will finally capture that elusive gold medal in the 2022 Tokyo Olympics.
“We always hope to win it soon,” said Uy. “It’s a very prestigious tournament, and it’s definitely a dream for athletes and sports enthusiasts to win a gold medal. It has always been the goal of everyone ever since.”
“This time around, I would like to believe that we have a greater chance of bringing home a gold medal, most especially with the outpouring of support our athletes are getting both from the government and the private sector.”
Uy, a Davao-based businessman who owns Phoenix Petroleum, has actually began efforts from the private sector’s side to support the athletes aiming to make it big in the Tokyo Olympics by launching Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation, Inc. last March.
Siklab, according to Uy, will support 29 athletes that will aim for Olympic berths, and hopefully bring the gold medal for the Philippines which thrice came short as boxers Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco (1996) and the late Anthony Villanueva (1964) and weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz (2016) went home with silver medals.
Leading the list of athletes identified by the foundation are Diaz, tracksters Eric Cray and Trenton Beram, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, taekwondo jins Elaine Alora and Pauline Lopez, triathlete Kim Mangrobang and windsurfing champion Geylord Coveta.
Also on the Siklab list are archer Nicole Tagle, Felix Eumir Marcial and John Tupas of boxing, cyclists Marella Salamat, Sienna Fines and Ariana Dormitrio, Carlos Yulo and Kaitlin De Guzman of gymnastics, and judokas Kiyomi Watanabe, Mariya Takahashi, Shugen Nakano and Kesei Nakano.
Completing the roster are canoe-kayak’s Hermie Macaranas and OJ Fuentes, swimmers James Dieparine and Nicole Oliva, karateka OJ Delos Santos, surfers Philmar Alipayo and Edito Alcala, weightlifter Kristel Macrohon and windsurfer Yancy Kaibigan.
The 29 elite athletes, according to Uy, will enjoy the foundation’s all-out support from the time they start training to the qualifying meets and their actual participation in the Tokyo Olympics.
Uy has already asked fellow businessmen to support the foundation, with the financial support gathered from donations to be used to provide the athletes training equipment and facilities, coaches services, exposure to international meets, as well as education, housing and livelihood programs.
This time around, I would like to believe that we have a greater chance of bringing home a gold medal, most especially with the outpouring of support our athletes are getting both from the government and the private sector.
— Dennis Uy