P-Noy to grace Olympic sendoff

MANILA, Philippines - A sendoff party with a fiesta-like setting will be held tomorrow for the small Philippine team to the 30th Olympic Games in London with President Aquino expected to lead the well-wishers.

The President has been invited to be the guest of honor in the evening affair scheduled at the Blue Leaf in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City with seven of the nine London-bound Filipino athletes and their coaches gracing the affair which starts at 6 p.m.

“The presence of the President will give our athletes the much-needed inspiration as they compete in the world’s biggest sports meet,” said Phl chief of mission and Philippine Olympic Committee vice president Manny Lopez.

Other sports officials, led by POC president Peping Cojuangco and Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia, as well as sports backers and friends like businessman/sportsman Manny V. Pangilinan will also grace the occasion to be hosted by Paolo Bediones and Chiqui Roa-Puno.

In the program prepared by TV5, the official television partner of the Phl team, the President will be introduced by Lopez after a welcome remarks by Pangilinan and messages from Cojuangco and Sumeet Vohra of Procter and Gamble, one of the entities backing the team.

The Olympians who’ll be on hand to receive good luck wishes are shooter Brian Rosario, boxer Mark Anthony Barriga, long jumper Marestella Torres, steeplechaser Rene Herrera, weighlifter Hidilyn Diaz and swimmers Jasmine Alkhaldi and Jessie Lacuna.

The two others Fil-Japanese judoka Tomohiko Hoshina and Fil-Am BMX rider Danny Caluag are presently training abroad, according to Lopez, also the POC first vice-president.

Organizers said special numbers will highlight the evening while well-known singers will serenade the national team, whose participation in the Games is also backed by ICTSI, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Procter and Gamble, Mizuno and Samsonite.

Lopez said Barriga, Herrera, Torres, Alkhaldi and Lacuna will leave for London next week to avail of the pre-Games training camp, which is given free by the London Organizing Committee for Olympic Games (LOCOG) and being introduced for the first time.

“It will be a good experience (taking part in the pre-Games). They will get a feel and insight of how it is like in the Olympics,” said Lopez.

Team officials are hopeful that the team will increase in number since there are still Filipino athletes presently seeing action in an archery qualifier in Utah and that Asian championship silver medalist Charlie Suarez might still get a wild card berth in boxing.

Last day of submission of entries is on July 9.