Thursday, September 04, 2008 FG Arroyo still willing to support Olympians
MANILA - First Gentleman Mike Arroyo yesterday said he is still willing to help the country’s athletes in their preparation for the forthcoming 25th Southeast Asian Games next year in Laos.
“If the athletes will ask for my help, I would really help them,” said Arroyo as he formally turned over the P1 millon cash incentives for the four-man wushu team, which won a gold, a silver and two bronzes in the recently concluded 29th Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Ramon Ang, president of San Miguel Corporation, likewise handed another P1 million incentive to wushu in the same ceremonies held at the Diamond Hotel.
The wushu team received a total of P7.5 million including P5 million from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and P500,000 from the Philippine Sports Commission.
Arroyo said that the experience of the 15-man Team Philippines in the Beijing Olympics showed that the country should now focus on selected sports and athletes must train hard for years.
“We should now focus on selected sports disciplines and give our athletes a long training, not just a few months but long years, if we have to prepare for the next Olympiad,” he added.
He mentioned boxing, shooting, archery, taekwondo as among the sports that the Philippine Olympic Committee and the PSC should focus in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.
“I hope we can win again in the Southeast Asian Games in Laos, just like what we did in 2005 here,” he said.
Aside from Arroyo, who is also the honorary chairman of the Wushu Federation of the Philippines and Ang, also present during the simple gathering were gold medalist Willy Wang, silver medalist Mary Jane Estimar and bronze medalists Marian Mariano and Benjie Rivera. (FCC)
