Sports should start in schools
Said two-time Olympics gold medalist Carlos Yulo
By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter
SPORTS should start in schools to help develop more world-class Filipino athletes, Olympics medalist Carlos Edriel P. Yulo said on Thursday.
“The help is not just about the financial aspect,” the two-time Olympics gold medalist said in Filipino during a press briefing exclusively for MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. companies. “Athletes in the Philippines can benefit from support in many areas.”
“Maybe introduce sports in schools and start with that and later on if they really want to do the sport they chose, the Philippine Sports Commission is there,” he added.
The National Academy of Sports (Republic Act No. 11470) creates an educational system focused on training and developing world-class athletes as part of a national sports program.
The law compels the State to establish a national sports program that shall promote physical education, encourage sports programs and develop athletes.
Despite the existence of such a law, Mr. Yulo said there is still a lack of knowledge about sports in the Philippines.
He added that sports could help many Filipino youth. Instead of being idle, they could be introduced to different sports, like gymnastics, athletics or basketball.
President of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines Cynthia Carrion-Norton during the same briefing shared how Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) and his sports foundation helped Mr. Yulo achieve his dreams of being a world champion.
Ms. Carrion-Norton called Mr. Pangilinan their “hero” for the financial help his foundation gave Mr. Yulo.
Apart from Mr. Yulo, the MVP Sports Foundation also backs weightlifting champion Hidilyn Diaz, the world’s number 2 pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, and boxer and two-time Olympic medalist Nesthy Petecio, among others.
After winning a historic double gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics, several private and public firms showered Mr. Yulo with millions worth of prizes and incentives.
Despite this, he said he is not thinking about all the gifts he has been receiving, but focusing on his personal life first.
“I’m focused on my personal life and in balancing it out after stressful competition and long journey,” he said in Filipino.
Mr. Yulo has so far received nearly P100 million in incentives from various government officials, private people, and firms.
“I really don’t think about [the prizes]…I really appreciate the help but the gold medal is really the ultimate price,” he said.
When asked about his plans for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he said he would try his hand again to be a three-time Olympian, but he needs to find other tournaments to join in first.
“I need to search again for competitions that I can join and [fix] my training plans schedules…but I also plan to do training camp again just like what I did in preparation for the Olympics because I learned a lot,” he said.
After clinching gold in men’s floor exercise and vault in the Paris Olympics, Mr. Yulo said he would try to qualify for the all-around and individual for the next Olympics.
“My next ultimate goal is to be able to win the all-around,” he said, acknowledging his strength in the floor exercise and weakness in the individual all-around.
He finished 12th in the individual all-around during the Paris Olympics.
Ms. Diaz, the first Filipino gold Olympian, started a weightlifting academy from the incentives she won after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Mr. Yulo said he would also like to give back to the gymnastics community, but not in the near future as he is still a competing athlete.
“I’m still focused on gymnastics…I am still focusing on my career, but I also want to do coaching in gymnastics and help other kids…I haven’t thought about it yet but in the future, I want to do it,” he said in Filipino.
In weighing the significance of his double gold win, Mr. Yulo said it represented hope.
“Let’s not lose hope even during the difficult times. Let’s continue [reaching] for our dreams in life. It’s okay to fall down because that is when we learn,” he said in Filipino.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.