NOTED sports patron Mikee Romero is offering P1 million to any Filipino cyclist who will bag a gold medal in the upcoming Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
The plan came after the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) called for a unification race between the two cycling factions – the group of Ricky Cruz and Colonel Arnulfo Taberdo, and the one headed by Tagaytay Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.
“The call for a unification race is one big step to unite all stakeholders in the cycling community, so I am supporting this move so that we can have a strong and competitive team for the Asian Games,” said Romero, who is also a former president of PhilCycling.
Under his offer, a silver medalist will receive P500,000 while a bronze medal is worth P300,000. The incentive is on top of the government’s cash bonuses to all medalists.
“I’m not anymore a party to any group nor a partisan to any side but I just want a united Philcycling Philippine team to the Asian Games,” said Romero when asked of the sport’s top priority.
With a little over four months before the Asian Games, Romero said the RP cyclists should now step up their training and hopefully bring the elusive gold medal for the Philippines.
In the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, the Philippines won four gold medals, two in boxing and one each in billiards and wushu. The athletes also bagged four silver and bronze medals each. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)