The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino has requested an additional P510 million for the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to increase the budget for elite sports in the Philippines, leading up to the 2021 Summer Olympics.
As most people know, the 2020 Olympics were postponed until 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic concerns. The Olympics are still set to occur in Tokyo, Japan, from July 23rd till August 8th, but could get postponed again if the virus is not under control by that time.
POC President Tolentino said that he believes that 2021 could be the first time the Philippines could win gold in an Olympic event. Tolentino went on to say that Philippine athletes need support to accomplish what has never been done before.
The additional money would be used for salaries, wages, and personnel to assist top athletes. However, not all that money will be used for Olympic athletes. Approximately P100 million will be used to prepare the Southeast Asian Games scheduled for November 21st, 2020.
While the odds for a Philippine athlete to win gold at the Olympics has not been favorable in the past, there are reasons to believe that this suspicion could come true in 2021. At the 2019 SEA games, Filipino athletes were dominant, bringing home 387 medals, 149 of which were gold.
While many people enjoy the Olympic games’ competition and commodity, other people enjoy betting on the events. There are multiple ways to participate in legal sports betting in the Philippines, including online and domestic services.
Seasoned PH bettors often prefer betting online due to the sheer number of betting options and bonus rewards available online compared to brick-and-mortar sites. PH online sportsbooks also offer betting lines on Philippine events where legal sports betting services in the Philippines are barred from doing so. While there are no 2021 Olympic odds as of now, there will undoubtedly be some as the date draws near.
No matter how you choose to bet, Philippine Olympic athletes are poised to make a splash and hopefully bring home a few golds next year.
