Japan donates P7 million worth of world-class equipment to PH

From left: GAP President Cynthia Carrion, Carlos Yulo, Japanese ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko, and Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya. PHOTO BY JEAN RUSSEL V. DAVID 

Filipino gymnasts will now have access to world-class facility as the Japanese government turnover almost P7 million worth of equipment to the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines on Friday.

Japanese ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko led the ribbon-cutting at the GAP Training Center inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.

“We have great talents here that’s why we are eager to support the development of grassroots so that they become world-class gymnasts,” said Kazuhiko to The Manila Times.

The purchase of equipment was subsidized through the Japanese government’s Grant Assistance for Cultural Grassroots Project in an agreement with GAP in March 2022.

“We would like to thank the Japanese government’s generous help in setting up this facility for our aspiring gymnasts who can now train and develop their skills and talent using quality equipment that we did not have before,” said GAP President Cynthia Carrion.

World champion Carlos Yulo also witnessed the turnover ceremony.

For Yulo, the apparatus will aid the skills of his fellow Filipino athlete.

“Before we don’t have this kind of equipment. Now, Filipino athletes will be more competitive and at par with the world’s best in the future,” said Yulo.