(From left to right) J Creative Founder Co-CEO JP Mallo, J Creative Founder Co-CEO Justyn Reyes, Consul Francis Maynard S. Maleon, Deputy Consul General Maria Alnee A. Gamble, Los Angeles 2028 Olympics chef de mission Ricky Vargas, Consul General Adelio Angelito S. Cruz, Cignal First Vice President and Head of Channels and Content Sienna Olaso, Cignal Vice President for Sports Business Development Miguel Vea, Gany Ruperto. Handout photo
MANILA -- With three years to go before the 2028 Olympics, chef de mission Ricky Vargas has begun laying the groundwork to ensure that Filipino athletes will be fully prepared.
Vargas went on a three-day visit to Los Angeles, where he scouted potential training facilities, hospitality venues, and accommodations for the Philippine delegation.
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"Other countries have started to check out the same things so we're actually not early," said Vargas, who was joined by Cignal First Vice President and Head of Channels and Content Sienna Olaso and Cignal Vice President for Sports Business Development Miguel Vea on the trip.
"We've done the first round. In February, we'll do another round and hope to finalize details. One of our goals is to confirm a training site which we hope will be better and more equipped than in Metz, where we set up camp before the Paris Olympics."
Among the campuses that may serve as training camps for Filipino athletes are Pepperdine University, Loyola Marymount University, and UCLA, with all three offering world-class facilities.
UCLA offers a sprawling 400-acre campus which will house around 80-percent of the Olympic Village.
According to Vargas, the plan is to bring a delegation of 20 to 25 athletes, along with their coaches and trainers, to camp in Los Angeles a month before the Games to maximize their preparation and fast track their acclimation.
Aside from the training sites, Vargas inspected potential hospitality and event centers for the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), where guests and supporters may be hosted during the Games.
Among those options were The Petersen Automotive Museum and the Film Academy Museum, while 20 hotel rooms are also set to be booked in a central location to house key officials and staff.
The group also paid a courtesy call on Philippine Consul General in Los Angeles Adelio Cruz and met with the Consulate's Management Committee to explore ways of rallying support from the Filipino community in Southern California.
There, three potential sponsors were introduced to Vargas with plans of making a community campaign with the goal of rallying support and galvanizing Filipino presence for the delegation during the Games.
"This is just the beginning," he said. "Our goal is to provide our athletes with the best possible environment to train, prepare, and ultimately represent the Philippines with pride at the Los Angeles Olympics."
The Philippines is hoping to build on a historic campaign in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, where gymnast Carlos Yulo brought home two golds and boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas each won a bronze.