Philippine beach volleyball players have been offered an additional incentive to chase a podium finish at the 2026 Asian Games, with Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Frank Lao pledging P100,000 for each player if a Philippine pair wins the gold medal.
The incentive is separate from the cash rewards provided by the Philippine government to Asian Games medalists under Republic Act No. 10699, or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.
Lao said the national teams’ progress under Brazilian head coach Joao Kiodai has been encouraging, as the Philippine pairs continue their campaign in the continental competition.
“I hope magtuloy-tuloy ang panalo, ito naman ang aim natin eh, to conquer Asia and then eventually, we will try to pool our resources to dominate the world, suntok sa buwan, pero walang imposible,” Lao said.
The PNVF chief also thanked Rebisco for its continued support of the national beach volleyball program.
The Philippines fielded two women’s and two men’s pairs in the preliminary rounds at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court.
Khylem Harl Progella and Sofiah Shanin Pagara remained unbeaten in Pool G after winning all three of their matches.
The young duo opened with a 21-6, 21-11 victory over the Maldives before sweeping Mongolia, 21-3, 21-3. They completed the preliminary round with a 21-19, 21-17 win over Hong Kong, China.
In Pool E, Bernadeth Pons and Cherry Ann Rondina split their first two matches. The pair defeated Bangladesh, 21-6, 21-6, before losing to Kazakhstan, 21-17, 10-21, 15-10.
The men’s side saw James Buytrago and Ronniel Rosales also post a 1-1 record in Pool C. They defeated Mongolia, 21-11, 21-15, but were beaten by Vietnam, 24-22, 21-15.
Alnakran Abdilla and Lerry John Francisco, meanwhile, suffered two losses in Pool A. They fell to Qatar, 21-7, 21-10, before losing to Oman, 21-14, 28-26.
With the preliminary-round results setting the stage for the next phase, the remaining Philippine pairs will continue their bid to advance deeper into the Asian Games beach volleyball competition. (Adrian Co)
