Tolentino going easyon Solidarity athletes

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) isn’t pressuring the latest batch of Olympic Solidarity Movement scholars as they continue to hone their skills.

POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the pressure of making it to the Olympics, be it the 2026 Winter Games in Italy or the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games, is enough motivation for the Olympic scholars to do their best in international competitions.

Tolentino, who oversaw the country’s winning of three gold medals in the Olympics, also said that they have thoroughly studied who among the athletes would deliver in Los Angeles.

“I’m not pressuring them. The reason why the candidates were screened properly is because they have the best chance of making it to the Olympics,” Tolentino said.

“If most of the scholars made it to the Olympics, it would be almost perfect.”

Several athletes were given Olympic scholarships last Monday, which give them a monthly stipend of $1000 and allow them to train anywhere around the world, including Eldrew Yulo of gymnastics, the younger brother of two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo.

The Philippines have produced athletes who have shone in the Olympics after being given scholarship grants.

Among them was Hidilyn Diaz of weightlifting, who captured the silver medal of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in the women’s 53-kilogram event and the gold in the women’s 55kg category of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Yulo is currently the best Filipino athlete to be granted an Olympic Solidarity scholarship after winning two gold medals in the men’s floor exercise and vault in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Nesthy Petecio has also made her mark in the women’s 57kg division, getting a silver medal in the 2021 Tokyo Games and plucking a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics.