POC names 12 Olympic scholars

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Olympic Committee has identified the 12 Filipino athletes who will be placed under the International Olympic Committee solidarity scholarship program until the 2012 Olympics in London.

Jose Cojuangco, POC president, named the athletes as Jessie King Lacuna and Jasmine Alkhaldi of swimming; Marlon Avenido and Japoy Lizardo of taekwondo; Marestela Torres and Henry Dagmil of athletics; Hayen Topacio and Paul Bryan Rosario of shooting; Roque Abala of rowing; Emerson Segui of fencing; Margarito Angana of wrestling; and Mark Javier of archery.

Under the program, these athletes will get $500 a month in training allowances from Olympic Solidarity, which draws its fund from its share of the previous Summer Games, in this case the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Cojuangco said on top of the monthly allowances, these chosen athletes will get $5,000 for any Olympic qualifying tournament they will participate in as they search slots to the next Olympics.

Marestela Torres

“They will be properly taken care of. These are our Olympic scholars,” said Cojuangco.

The athletes were chosen in full coordination with their respective national sports associations, and the POC president said every penny that will be handed to the Filipino athletes will have to be liquidated.

“This is big help for us. This could cover everything that we can’t for the coming year, where there are Olympic qualifying tournaments lined up for all the Olympic sports,” said Cojuangco.

The POC president, who also heads the Equestrian Association of the Philippines, said they hope to identify as many as 60 elite athletes to be placed under special care, and he hopes to find someone who can assume the role as their training director.

“We will continue to sit down with the different NSAs so we can complete the 60 athletes. Because if in six months we cannot see any improvement in the original 12, they can take their place,” said Cojuangco.

“Our athletes should use this (opportunity) to improve their skills and qualify for the London Olympics,” he added.

Even the coaches can be part of the program as experienced by Joseph Sy of athletics and Henry Manalang of archery in the past.