POC eyes heftier L.A. 2028 haul

PARIS, France — The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) declared on Friday that “work for (the) Los Angeles (Olympics) in 2028 starts now.”

Following the two gold medals from gymnast Carlos Yulo and Hidilyn Diaz’s lone gold in Tokyo three years ago, POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino believes the back-to-back feat pulled off by the Philippines is going to a hard act to follow.

Gymnastics, weightlifting and boxing remain the most likely sources of Olympic gold medals with Tolentino saying that in the next Olympic cycle, other sports could be given elite treatment.

“The template applied in weightlifting, gymnastics and boxing has been tested and proven again in Paris,” said Tolentino on the formula for success in sports — a squad of coaches, strength and conditioning experts, physiotherapists, nutritionists, among others.

“The POC will be encouraging national sports associations to apply a similar template.”

There are 32 sports being played at the Paris Olympics that are bound to be on the LA 2028 program and Tolentino said that there are more than a dozen of them where Filipino athletes could win medals.

“Shooting, archery and taekwondo, to name a few,” said Tolentino, who’s also confident cycling, which he also heads, could be coming out of the horizon.

An International Cycling Union-standard 250-meter indoor velodrome is expected to be completed in mid-2025 in Tagaytay City, where Tolentino is mayor.