The Philippine Olympic Committee will encourage concerned national sports associations to search for athletes—both homegrown and heritage—who could qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano and Cortina in Italy.
“It’s time to look for other talents not only in Alpine skiing, but also in other events like figure skating, bobsleigh, curling, snowboard and freestyle and cross-country skiing,” POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino. “I believe that there’re a lot of talents abroad with Filipino blood who can represent the country.”
Asa Miller was the country’s lone representative in the Beijing Winter Games in men’s giant slalom and slalom. The two-time Winter Olympian, however, didn’t finish in both races.
Tolentino said the POC will not hesitate to recruit more athletes through the help of Philippine Ski and Snowboard Federation and Philippine Skating Union. These NSAs are headed by Jim Apelar and Nikki Cheng, respectively.
“We will explore the Winter Games sports and we will try to find more Filipino talents,” Tolentino said. “I believe there are disciplines that we can excel in.”
Tolentino said that despite Miller’s mishap in Beijing, his qualification alone in two events are already an achievement.
“Representing the Philippines in the Winter Olympics twice is absolutely big for us as a tropical nation,” he said. “We’re still proud of Asa.”
The Philippines was the first tropical nation—also from Southeast Asia—to participate in the Winter Olympics with cousins Ben Nanasca and Juan Cipriano qualifying for Alpine skiing in the 1972 Sapporo Games. Only four other Filipinos, however, made it to the Winter Games—luger Raymond Ocampo (1988 Calgary), Alpine skier Michael Turuel (1992 Albertville), Figure skater Michael Christian Martinez (2014 Sochi and 2018 Pyeongchang) and Miller (Pyeongchang and Beijing).
Apelar, meanwhile, said he believes Miller will return for his third Winter Olympics, but named five other potential youngsters who has bright future in winter sports. They are 19-year-old Alpine skier Brandon Leitner, 21-year-old freestyle mogul skier Melvin Kangas, 24-year-old snowboard athlete Adrian Lee Tongko and 19-year-old skier Ana Noelle Wahleithner.
Cheng, on the other hand, said they are closely looking at 18-year-old short track speed skater Julian Macaraeg and 16-year-old figure skater Sofia Frank as possible Winter Olympians in the future.
