“With POC as a member of the IOC, iisa ang direksiyon namin ng IOC na dapat matuloy. Kaya namang ituloy,” he shared to the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum webcast.

With just a week left for the start of the Tokyo bid, a recent survey in Japan has shown that 83% of voters believed that the Summer Games should be postponed or scrapped and also signified by the Japanese doctors union that it could lead to a new COVID variant.

Nonetheless, IOC president Thomas Bach firmly averred that the Games will push through with things under their control.

“Together with our Japanese partners and friends, I can only re-emphasize this full commitment of the IOC to organize safe Olympic and Paralympic games for everybody,” Bach shared.

And so what made Tolentino agree saying that “with all the countermeasures, COVID countermeasures, kaya namang ituloy. So hindi ako pwedeng tumaliwa sa direction ng IOC.”

“Bakit naman ako aayun doon sa gusto ng ibang CEO ng Japanese na cancel. Sila marami na silang gold na nakuha, at saka may kaya naman sila. Eh tayong third world na hindi pa nakakatikim ng gold, baka ito ‘yung chance.”

As of now, the Philippines has nine qualified players to bat for Tokyo bid—weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz; boxers Eumir Marcial, Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio, and Irish Magno; pole-vaulter EJ Obiena; gymnast Caloy Yulo, rower Carl Nievarez, and jin Kurt Barbosa.