Eumir Marcial says monthly allowance not enough for Olympic preps

Olympic-bound boxer Eumir Marcial took off his gloves and aired his sentiments about the financial support received by national athletes.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Marcial said the monthly allowance he receives is not enough to cover his campaign for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"Since last year when I was in the United States and now I'm in Zamboanga City, do you think a monthly allowance of P43,000 is enough for my preparation for the Olympics?" Marcial said in Filipino.

"Do you think I can rely on P43,000 for plane tickets, accommodation, food, coaching staff, masseur, supplements, etc. Those that I mentioned were provided by private sponsors and of course my own money," he added.

Marcial called out those who do not know anything about sports and told them to keep silent.

"Kung ganyan ang suporta at mentality n'yo, wag kayong maghangad ng gold sa Olympics!" he said.

"Ngayon ang tanong ko sa sarili ko at tanong ko din sa inyo, mahihina ba kaming mga Pilipinong atleta kung bakit hanggang ngayon walang nakakakuha ng gold sa Olympics o sadyang may problema na ang pagsuporta galing sa inyo?"

("If that's your support and mentality, don't expect an Olympic gold medal! Now I ask myself and I ask you, are Filipino athletes not good enough to get the Olympic gold, or is there really a problem in supporting the athletes?")

Marcial then called for unity and thanked those who are supporting him in his Olympics campaign.

On Tuesday, the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) said they were "taken aback" by Marcial's previous claims of lack of support, saying they have always supported the boxer.

"We have been communicating regularly with Eumir, before he left for the US, while he was in the US, until now he is in Zamboanga. For us, we were taken aback by his statements that there is no support from PSC and ABAP which is completely untrue," ABAP secretary general Ed Picson said.

The ABAP executive said they have given Marcial different kinds of support such as providing equipment for training and even coaching in his house. However, Picson said he was disappointed that Marcial did not fully utilize what they had given him.

"By and large, there's a lot of support, on top of our personal help for him," he said.

"The problem is, I think he is confused with his role as a professional and as a national athlete. We've been giving him advice, but I feel that many people give him advice as well," Picson added.

Despite Marcial's claims, Picson is optimistic that the former will join the other Olympic-bound Filipino boxers training in Thailand, after his fight in the Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai.

For PSC's part, commissioner Mon Fernandez assured Marcial of the government's support, especially for his Olympic campaign.

"I just like to assure him that the PSC support will always be there. It's been there since the beginning, how much more now that he's going to the Olympics?" Fernandez said.

"It's really up to him to focus more on what he wants to achieve in the Olympics," he added.

Marcial previously aired his sentiments about the issue of allowances for Tokyo-bound athletes. ABAP explained that it extended financial assistance to its boxers despite the delays in allowance.

Marcial is one of the eight athletes who are already qualified for the Tokyo Games scheduled in June.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/MGP, GMA News