Substantial Rewards for Philippine Medalists at the Third Asian Youth Games
MANILA, Philippines — A remarkable array of cash incentives, alongside the latest premium mobile devices, will be bestowed upon the 24 medalists—seven of whom secured gold—representing the Philippines at the recent Third Asian Youth Games held in Manama.
“Our performance in Bahrain surpassed expectations; our aim was merely three golds, yet we achieved seven,” remarked Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino during a special recognition ceremony for Team Philippines on Monday at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Parañaque City.
In a delightful surprise for the medalists, coaches, and accompanying parents, Philippine Sports Commission chairman John “Pató” Patrick disclosed that the PSC board—comprising commissioners Olivia “Bong” Coo, Walter Torres, Eduardo Jayco, and Fritz Gaston—has sanctioned a substantial cash incentive of P500,000 for gold medalists, P300,000 for silver medalists, and P100,000 for those earning bronze.
Moreover, Tolentino announced an additional incentive package from the POC: P250,000 for gold medalists, P150,000 for silver winners, and P75,000 for bronze medalists.
This announcement was unexpected, as the current incentives policy under the Athletes and Coaches Incentives Act typically rewards higher-tier athletes for their performances abroad.
The news elicited enthusiastic applause from the athletes, which intensified when Tolentino introduced further rewards from POC sponsor Sportsplus PH—an iPhone 17 Pro Max for each of the seven gold medalists and an iPhone 17 for the silver and bronze recipients.
This occasion transformed into a jubilant celebration, as the young athletes—all aged 18 and under—exceeded the two gold medals captured in the previous edition held in Nanjing.
The Philippines concluded the event ranked 12th in the medal standings, amassing a total of 7 golds, 7 silvers, and 10 bronzes.
In contrast, China dominated the charts with an impressive tally of 63 golds, 49 silvers, and 35 bronzes, followed by Uzbekistan with 37-16-28 and Kazakhstan at 24-29-40.
The gold medalists hailed from various disciplines, including Pencak Silat’s Kram Airam Carpio, MMA’s Charlie Ratcliff, Lyre Anie Ngina, Zeth Gabriel Bueno, and the mixed team comprising Jan Brix Ramiscal and Tyron Jamborillo, alongside athletics’ Pi Wurden Wangkay and jiu-jitsu’s Isabella Butler, who regrettably missed the festivities, having traveled directly to the US from Manama.
Among the silver medalists were MMA’s Travis Ratcliff, athletics’ Naomi Cesar, Muay’s Jasmine Dagame and Jan Brix Ramiscal, taekwondo’s Kristen Aguila, swimming’s Jamesray Ajido, and weightlifting’s Jhodie Peralta.
As for the bronze medalists, they included Crystal Carino and Nicole Tabucol in Teqball, Alexander Tagure Jr. in modern MMA, Iyeshia Blair Bituin in Muay Thai, Aeden Roffer Cereño in taekwondo, Alexandra Ann Diaz, Jhodie Peralta, and Jay-R Colonia in weightlifting, Leo Mhar Lobrido in boxing, and Maria Alexandria Sarinas in jiu-jitsu.
Source link: Manilatimes.net.
