PSA executive of the year: Who else but Bambol?
The only president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to preside over gold-winning Olympic delegations gets a piece of the spotlight in the Jan. 27 staging of the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Annual Awards Night at the grand ballroom of Manila Hotel.
Abraham Tolentino will be recognized as Executive of the Year during the traditional gala night by the country’s sportswriting fraternity for the hands-on job he did overseeing the participation and performance of the Filipino contingent at the Paris Games.
With Tolentino, current Tagaytay City mayor, at the helm Team Philippines achieved its best-ever showing in its century of Olympic participation, highlighted by the country’s very first double gold medal courtesy of wonder boy Carlos Yulo in gymnastics.
This marks the third time the father of the country’s Olympic movement will be feted with the award during the traditional festivity copresented by ArenaPlus, Cignal and MediaQuest.
Tolentino was recipient of the Executive of the Year back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Yulo leads all of the awardees in the celebration considered the “Oscars of Philippine Sports” and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, PLDT/Smart, MILO, Senator Bong Go and Januarius Holdings, with backing from the PBA, PVL, 1-Pacman Party List, Rain or Shine, Akari and AcroCity.
Undisputed choice
The 24-year-old gymnast is the undisputed choice as 2024 Athlete of the Year by the country’s oldest media organization headed by its president Nelson Beltran, sports editor of The Philippine Star.
Aside from Yulo, the Philippines also won two bronze medals in Paris courtesy of boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas as the Filipino contingent lived up to Tolentino’s bold prediction the country will surpass its medal haul in the Tokyo Olympics four years earlier.
It was also under Tolentino’s leadership when weightlifting icon Hidilyn Diaz delivered the Philippines’ first-ever gold in the Olympiad in 2020 by topping the women’s 55-kg class in record fashion.
Tolentino, also president of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling), earned a new mandate as POC president just before the end of 2024.
