Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is not deviating from his previous forecast that Filipino athletes in the 19th Asian Games will surpass their performance five years ago in Indonesia.
“Ganoon pa rin. Our target remains the same,” said Tolentino on the eve of the formal opening ceremonies for this Asian Games, which was postponed by one year due to the pandemic.
Five years ago, the Philippines fielded 272 athletes in 31 sports and brought home four gold medals, two in golf and one each in skateboarding and weightlifting, along with two silver and 15 bronze medals.
This time, the Philippines will bring a total of 395 athletes to the capital of Zhejiang province and will compete in 40 sports.
Overall, an Asian Games record number of 12,417 athletes from 45 countries will compete for a total of 481 gold medals in 40 sports until October 8.
“A minimum of four golds. That’s okay,” said Tolentino as members of Team Philippines, who are already in Hangzhou, prepared for the opening ceremony at the Hangzhou Olympic Centre Stadium on Saturday evening.
Skateboarder Margielyn Didal, a gold medalist in the 2018 Asian Games, and pole vaulter EJ Obiena, the Asian record-holder and currently ranked No. 2 in the world, will carry the flag for the Philippines in the opening rites.
In 2018, all four gold medals for the Philippines were won by female athletes, including those in individual and team golf, led by Fil-Japanese Yuka Saso, and weightlifting courtesy of 2021 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.
Tolentino said the male athletes are expected to deliver this time.
“Baka bumawi ang mga lalaki natin. We have EJ Obiena, Eumir Marcial in boxing, sa golf meron tayong magaling (Clyde Mondilla) and those in esports,” said the Philippine cycling chief and mayor of Tagaytay City.
Meanwhile, the host city is ready and excited to put together an opening ceremony that they say will astonish the world.
Top officials of the Hangzhou Games boast that the opening ceremony will be a gala event.
Weather permitting, they say the show will go on as scheduled, with breathtaking projections depicting the city’s past and present on the floor and background screens, along with showcasing numerous historical and cultural attractions.
Also worth waiting for are the glass-free 3D animations of athletic action and the unique way of lighting the cauldron by a virtual torchbearer.
The ceremony, from the welcome show, traditional parade of delegations, protocols, and the main artistic performance, will last for about 115 minutes.
They will be wearing a Barong Tagalog designed by world-class Filipino icon Rodolfo “Puey” Quinones.
Other Filipino athletes who have no scheduled games on Sunday will also join the parade, where 10 iconic attractions at the city’s famous West Lake will be projected onto the oval-shaped floor screen.
This will certainly allow athletes and the audience to enjoy the thrill and joy of seeing the city’s magnificent scenery.
