The Philippine Sports Hall of Fame (PSHOF) Review Committee adopted a resolution approving the automatic nomination of Olympic medalists during a virtual meeting last Tuesday.
PSHOF 2020 Chairperson and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William Ramirez, who headed the meeting, supported the inclusion of the “very few” medalists of the country in the Games.
“Achieving a medal from the most prestigious Games in history is something worth recognizing for a lifetime. They deserve it even without the process of someone voluntarily proving it for them,” said Ramirez.
Akiko Thomson Guevara, representing the Philippine Olympian Association in the Review Committee, volunteered to produce the names of all the country’s Olympic medalists in the next meeting.
There are only a total of ten (10) Filipino medalists in the history of the Philippines in the Summer Olympics since 1924. Teofilo Yldefonso, the only athlete to win a back-to-back Olympic medal in 1928 and 1932, holds the record to date.
The PSHOF Review Committee seeks to have the Olympic medalists honored to ensure that they are never forgotten.
Among the members of the committee are Games and Amusements Board (GAB) Chairman Abraham Mitra, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Secretary-General Atty. Edwin Gastanes, Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines Secretary-General Atty. Avelino Sumagui, and University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Executive Director Atty. Rene Saguisag Jr.
Following the signing of Republic Act No. 8757 or the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame Act, the highest sports award-giving body has enshrined Filipino athletes, coaches, and trainers who made a valuable contribution in Philippine sports since its first induction in 2010.
Nominations for the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame (PSHOF) 2020 are extended until the end of January 2021. (PR)
