MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham Tolentino challenged the 464-strong Philippine delegation to the 2026 Asian Games to surpass the country's haul of four gold medals from the previous Asian Games.
Tolentino made the challenge and said the Philippines could win eight gold medals in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. He said four will come from combat sports.
“There is no pressure, but just give your all,” Tolentino told the delegates during the send-off ceremony at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Thursday.
The Philippines bagged four gold medals in the 2022 Hangzhou Games from EJ Obiena (pole vault), Meggie Ochoa (jiu-jitsu), Annie Ramirez (jiu-jitsu) and the men's basketball team.
This time, the Philippines parades a star-studded roster in the Asian Games led by Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala, two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo, and Olympian boxers Aira Villegas and Carlo Paalam.
The POC president added that jiu-jitsu, boxing, mixed martial arts, and gymnastics have hidden cards on their roster that could finish with a gold medal, while the Philippines e-sports team can also pull off some surprises.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Patrick Gregorio also said during the send-off ceremony that there will be an additional P6,000 of allowance for the athletes, and if the athletes top the previous four-gold-medal haul from the last edition, there will be a bonus.
