Better late than never for Olympians

Four Olympians who were not present at the Heroes’ Welcome in Malacañang on 13 August were welcomed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday.

In a “meet and greet” at the Palace, Marcos presented gymnasts Alleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, Levi Jung Ruivivar, and golfer Dottie Ardina with presidential citations and cash incentives for their exemplary performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Each Olympian received the same P1 million from the Office of the President and P1 million from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation given to the other Filipino athletes who competed in the Olympics.

Initially, five athletes were supposed to be received by the President but Bianca Pagdanganan said she could not attend the event.

Of the 22 national athletes, only 17 Olympians arrived in the Philippines last week with the five missing the reception celebrating their Olympic run.

Marcos explained that there was a mix-up when the Palace invited the athletes for the Heroes’ Welcome.

“You might be wondering why we have an extra event after the other Olympians had arrived. It’s because when we had a reception here, they weren’t here, they were traveling, and [everything] got mixed up. It was too late to tell them, that’s why they didn’t come home,” he said.

He said that they organized this “meet and greet” to give the athletes the same welcome and recognition as their fellow Olympians.

“They also experienced the same difficulties, so they should be celebrated, too,” Marcos noted.

The Chief Executive, however, regretted that the five athletes missed the grand parade around Pasay City and Manila but was happy that they did something special for them.

“It’s unfortunate they did not get the chance to join the parade but at least we did everything we could. We’re happy we were able to do something extra for those that did not make it to the first round,” he said.

Earlier, Ruivivar, Finnegan and Malabuyo expressed their feelings as they missed the opportunity to celebrate the historic campaign of the Philippines in the 2024 Paris Olympics along with their fellow athletes and the rest of the country.