POC chief tempers YOG expectations

DAKAR, Senegal — Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino tempered down the nine-athlete Team Philippines’ chances for a podium finish at the 4th Youth Olympic Games (YOG) that start in a day’s time in Senegal.

“They’re big and they look strong,” said Tolentino of the early bird participants from the Americas and Europe as he did the rounds of the fields of play and the Athletes Village in Diamniadio town, some 40 kms from the capital, upon his arrival here with POC secretary-general Atty. Wharton Chan on Wednesday.

“It will be very difficult,” added Tolentino who welcomed on Thursday night here the first batch of Filipinos exhausted from a 30-hour flight from Manila via Istanbul at the Blaise Diagne International Airport also located in Diamniadio.

Already checked in at the Athletes’ Village where athletes are provided with electric fans and not air-conditioning units in each room, are swimmers Riannah Chantelle Coleman and Jamesray Michael Ajido and wushu’s Angel Polo and their coaches Ramil Ilustre and Jensen Halili (swimming) and Chinese Li Jianfang (wushu).

“So it’s good luck to our athletes, although I’m sure they prepared hard for this once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Tolentino added.

Flying to Dakar also via Istanbul on Saturday are gymnastics athletes Hillarion Palles III and Tchelcy Mei Maayo and coaches Reyland Capellan and Kazutaka Hakamada, and on November 4, it will be the turn of cycling’s Maritanya Krog and coaches Mark John Lexer Galedo and Marita Lucas and athletics’ Pi Wangkay and Naomi Cesar and coach Jasper Tanhueco.