Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 2) – The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) expressed its full support to alpine skier Asa Miller, the country’s lone athlete in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
POC president Bambol Tolentino said Miller can pull off an improbable task and have a memorable outing in his second straight Olympic campaign.
“It’s really an honor to have Asa here to represent our country, this is a very expensive sport, you have to pay for everything — the gear, including the gondola,” said Tolentino, who is already in China, together with other sports officials led by Chef de Mission Bones Floro and Philippine Snowboarding and Ski Federation president Jim Apelar.
Tolentino also promised Miller that he will receive an avalanche of incentives if he wins the country’s first ever Winter Olympics medal, just like what happened last year to weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who became the first Filipino Olympic gold medalist at the Tokyo Summer Games.
“Remember what I gave our Olympic medalists — the gold, the silver and the bronze? I gave them a house and lot each in Tagaytay. Get one,” Tolentino told Miller during a meeting among the members of Team Philippines at the National Alpine Skiing Centre atop Xiaohaituo Mountain.
The 21-year-old Filipino American alpine skier humbly responded to Tolentino’s challenge.
“I’ll do my best…there are lots of best skiers out there. It takes time, I have to build and take the process,” said Miller, who arrived in China over the weekend.
Miller will be the country’s flag bearer in the Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday.
The Portland-born skier will first see action in the men’s giant slalom event on Feb. 13 while the men’s slalom competition is set for Feb. 16.
Miller also represented the Philippines in the 2018 Winter Olympics, where he ranked 70th out of 110 competitors in the giant slalom event.
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