Surfing could net Phl elusive Olympic gold

SIARGAO ISLAND – A group of surfing enthusiasts and patrons are planning to put up a national sports association for the sport with an eye of winning the country its very first Olympic gold in the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Siargao, Surigao del Norte Rep. Bingo Matugas said he and sports medicine expert Dr. Raul Canlas are in the process of establishing a group it will call United Philippines Surfers Association (UPSA) with hopes of bringing together the country’s top surfers and qualify them for the Tokyo Games.

This came about after the International Surfing Association, the world governing body of the sport recognized by the International Olympic Committee, decided to disallow professional surfers to participate in the quadrennial meet.

“ISA has decided that there will be no professional surfers in the Tokyo Olympics, which gives us more chance of competing for the gold and I’m optimistic that we will because I believe that in surfing, size doesn’t matter,” Matugas told The Star.

There will be a total of 40 slots – 20 each for men and women – in the Olympics set in Hiroshima, Japan.

“Four of those spots, of course, will go to the host country so we still have 36 spots to compete for,” said Matugas.

This early, Matugas has pointed to Siargao natives Nelby Blancado and Philmar Alipayo as the country’s best bets, describing the duo as “world-class surfers.”

“Nelby is the No. 1 ranked surfer in Asia while Philmar is No. 2. This is the best time for the Philippines to join and win that first Olympic gold,” he said.