Tolentino on Tagaytay velodrome: If you build, they will come
June 13, 2025
PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee and cycling federation president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino inspects two bikes of the Thailand cycling association headed by General Decha Hemkasri.
PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino has started combing the region to secure track bikes as the cycling federation president turned to aggressive mode to complete what’s needed for the Tagaytay City Velodrome—the country’s first indoor track cycling facility of International Cycling Union (UCI) standard.
“If you build, they will come,” said Tolentino, borrowing a famous line from the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” starred by Kevin Costner where a cornfield was transformed into a baseball field fit for the players in the majors to play on.
Tagaytay City isn’t close to resembling a cornfield but the top tourist destination known for its cool weather and majestic view of the Taal Volcano has become the cycling hub of the Philippijnes.
“Road cycling? We got technical and treacherous climbs. BMX? We got the UCI-homologated BMX Racing track, the only one in the country. Freestyle? We got the park right beside the BMX track,” said Tolentino, also the mayor of Tagaytay City.
Tolentino is currently in Bangkok for the Southeast Asian Games Federation meeting for this December’s 33rd edition of the regional games and while there, he connected with his counterpart, Thai cycling federation president General Decha Hemkasri, on the purchase of track bikes for the velodrome that will be inaugurated later this month as part of the Tagaytay City Foundation Anniversary celebrations.
“It’s a dream, not only to make Tagaytay City as a cycling and sports hub, but to help bring back the glory the Philippines enjoyed in the past,” said Tolentino, adding that the national federation for the sport, PhilCycling, will be fielding two men and one woman cyclists for the Thailand SEA Games omnium event.
“Pardon the pun, but we are on track,” he added.
With the new velodrome, the Philippines now ranks alongside Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, South Korea and India as Asian countries with such facility.
The velodrome was built by the Canadian company Junek Velodrome, whose owner, Peter Junek, is one of only three designers in the world recognized by the UCI.
The 250-meter wooden track had a 7.1-meter width and is designed to provide optimal conditions for high-speed cycling with steep embankments on each end.
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Aira Villegas (left), Fr. Eugenio Lopez, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Carlos Yulo, and Nesthy Petecio
PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino (third from left) with (from left) coaches Jessica Pfister and Miguel Gutierrez,, Marc Pfister, Enrico Pfister, Christian Haller and Curling Pilipinas playing president Benjo Delarmente.
Philippine men’s curling team celebrates after winning historic first ever Southeast Asia’s gold medal in winter games.
David Lappartient (left) and Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino (right)
Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino
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THE country is fielding a 20-athletes team to the ninth edition of the Asian Winter Games that China is hosting for the third time from February 7 to 14 in the winter resort city of Harbin. The mission? To start setting the stage for a first-ever Winter Olympics medal for the Philippines. “We’ve already accomplished the dream in the Summer Olympics—three gold medals in consecutive games,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino on New Year’s Day Wednesday. “And that dream we want to also achieve in the Winter Olympics.” There are no available accurate records as to how many Filipino winter sports athletes competed in the first eight editions of the Asian Winter Games, but Tolentino believed the team to Harbin should be the biggest thus far. “And our athletes are competing in six of the 11 sports on the Harbin program,” Tolentino said. Curling, now one of the most-watched winter sports discipline, will have the most number of athletes in Harbin with 10 athletes— Marc Angelo Pfister, Enrico Gabriel Pfister, Christian Patrick Haller, Alan Beat Frei, Jessica Pfister, Benjo Delarmente, Kathleen Dubberstein, Leilani Dubberstein, Sheila Mariano and Anne Marie Bonache. The Curling Winter Sports of the Philippines was established late last year to organize the discipline’s ranks with the new group joining Philippine Skating Union and Philippine Ski and Snowboarding Association in the POC roster. The other members of Team Philippines managed by chef de mission Richard Lim are Paolo Borromeo, Aleksandr Korovin, Cathryn Limketkai, Isabella Marie Gamez and Sofia Lexi Jacqueline Frank in figure skating; Francis Ceccarelli and Talullah Proulx in Alpine skiing; Laetaz Amihan Rabe in freestyle skiing; Peter Joseph Groseclose in short track speed skating and Adrian Tongco in snowboarding Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo won the Philippines’ first Summer Olympics gold medal in Tokyo 2020 and gymnast Carlos Yulo captured two gold medals in Paris 2024, both under Tolentino’s watch at the POC. “The Winter Olympics are as extremely tough as the Summer Olympics, but we have proven that it could be done,” Tolentino vowed. Italy will host the 25th edition of the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo from February 6 to 22 next year. Sixty-four events will be contested in Harbin, which was host in 1996, the second time after Changchun 2007 where China first organized the games. Japan has been the dominant team in the games, followed by China and Kazakhstan.
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Ernest John "EJ" Obiena gave the whole nation hope as he claimed the first gold medal for the Philippines in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Obiena's remarkable journey unfolded at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, where he dazzled with a record-smashing performance in the pole vault finals. The anticipation was palpable as Obiena soared to an astonishing 5.75 meters, leaving his competitors in awe. Yet, he wasn't done there. In a breathtaking display, he shattered the Asian Games record of 5.7 meters and secured the gold with a spectacular 5.9-meter leap, igniting celebrations among Filipino supporters in the stands, including Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Bambol Tolentino, Chef de Mission Richard Gomez, and athletics' chief Terry Capistrano. In a heartwarming gesture, Obiena attempted to break his own Asian record of 6 meters, aiming to gift his coach, Vitaly Petrov, a fitting birthday present. Though he narrowly missed this feat, his outstanding achievement marked a historic moment for Philippine athletics. This victory was the Philippines' first gold medal in athletics in 37 years since Lydia de Vega's 100-meter triumph at the Seoul Asiad. It also represented the first athletics medal in 29 years, dating back to Elma Muros' bronze in the long jump at the 1994 Hiroshima Games. Obiena's remarkable journey has made him a superstar and a source of inspiration for his fellow athletes. His training partners, including China's Huang Bokai and Saudi Arabia's Hussain al Hizam, acknowledged his immense contributions to their progress and expressed their desire to challenge him in the future. Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Bambol Tolentino summed up the nation's sentiments, stating, "EJ never ceases to amaze us." Obiena's extraordinary achievement in pole vaulting has left an indelible mark on Asian Games history, and his gold medal is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of an athlete who has truly reached the sky's limit.
