RICHARD Lim (left) extends his gratitude to POC president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino for allowing him to have a full-circle moment after being appointed as chef de mission in the 20th Asian Games in Japan.
Photograph COURTESY OF RICHARD LIM/FB
Karate Pilipinas president Richard Lim is having a full-circle moment after being appointed as chef de mission (CdM) of the country’s participation in the 20th Asian Games in Japan this September.
In a telephone conversation with DAILY TRIBUNE on Friday morning, the 59-year-old Lim revealed that the role entrusted to him by Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is deeply personal to him, as it allows him to continue the family’s rich tradition of sports governance.
With the appointment, Lim became a second-generation official to serve as CdM. His late father — former karate chief Manuel “Pocholo” Veguillas — served as the highest-ranking official of the national delegation in the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok in 1998.
His mother — Josie Veguillas — was also a distinguished sports executive as she served as president of the Philippine Skating Union from 2017 until her passing in 2020.
But more than that, Lim used to compete in the Asian Games. In fact, he won a bronze medal in men’s individual kata the last time the prestigious continental event was held in Japan in 1994.
“It’s going to be a full-circle moment for me. The last time the Asian Games were held in Japan in 1994, I was an athlete. I was in the same batch as Onyok (Velasco) and won a bronze medal in kata,” said Lim, extending his gratitude to Tolentino and the POC executive council for trusting him with such a crucial role. He will be assisted by Erika Dy of basketball, Jarryd Bello of curling, Ali Sulit of judo and Jop Malonzo of vovinam.
“Being the CdM is also the role that my dad had when we competed in the Asian Games in 1998. If only he’s still alive, I’m sure he will be happy and proud.”
It’s going to be Lim’s second time to serve as CdM. The first time he led the national delegation in the Asian Winter Games in Harbin in 2025, the athletes delivered with a historic gold medal in the men’s curling event.
Lim, who turned karate from a dormant sport into a consistent medal-producer in the Southeast Asian Games since his assumption as president in 2018, stressed that the challenge he is facing in the Asian Games will not be easy.
He said Team Philippines will be parading a delegation of 443 athletes — the second-biggest since sending 524 bets in Hiroshima in 1994 — and there’s a huge pressure on them to deliver.
But upon meeting some national sports association leaders, he realized that winning is doable as they will be sending a very solid team featuring superstars like Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo of gymnastics, Asian record-holder Ernest John Obiena of athletics, Olympian Eumir Marcial of boxing, tennis princess Alex Eala, and reigning Asian Games champion Gilas Pilipinas.
“On paper, what we have is a very solid team,” said Lim, who assumed the role after National Golf Association of the Philippines Al Panlilio begged off due to his very busy schedule.
“All we have to do is work hard and make sure that they will be prepared for battle. Our goal is to surpass what we have accomplished in Hangzhou, which is three gold medals.”
“On Monday, I will sit down with (Philippine Sports Commission executive director) Atty. (Guillermo) Iroy to pick up where they left off. I will check all the pending requests and other matters that need to be done to make sure that our preparation will be smooth. We have to buckle down to work right away.”
