Carrion eyes P139M for Junior World hosting

A whopping P139 million is needed to stage the country’s hosting of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships this November, the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) said on Sunday.

“We need millions. We’re asking the government to give us P139 million and I still have to raise another P112 million to make it a very, very successful World Championships,” GAP president Cynthia Carrion said.

Carrion said “there are already 93 countries coming and 7,000 athletes will join” the tournament that will be staged at the Marriot Grand Ballroom in Taguig City from 15 to 24 November.

Leading the host’s charge for top honors is Karl Eldrew Yulo, the younger brother of Paris Olympics double gold medalist Carlos.

“Eldrew will win it. It will be nice for the country to see our athlete win the gold medal in our country,” Carrion said.

To prepare for the tough competitions, Carrion said that Eldrew left for Japan to ramp up his training.

“Eldrew is going back to Tokyo to train under Munehiro Kugimiya. The Asian Championships were a good experience for the juniors.”

If the results are anything like those his older brother Carlos got, training under Kugimiya will only benefit Eldrew.

Under Kugimiya’s watchful eye, Carlos became a nine-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, an 11-time Asian champion, and a two-time world champion.

Eldrew even showed flashes of potential after capturing the silver medal in the junior men’s vault of the Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships early this month in Jecheon, South Korea.