00:00Ms. Cynthia Carreon, President of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.
00:07Maraming salamat po sa pagsama sa amin sa araw na ito.
00:11Salamat naman.
00:13Thank you for being with us.
00:14Dami po namin questions din for you dahil alam namin na yung sakripisyo rin from your end.
00:20Hindi lang from Carlos but even from your end.
00:22Yes.
00:23Pero balikan lang namin dun sa umpisang-umpisa, ma'am Cynthia.
00:27Yes.
00:28Saan ninyo ba na-discover ang isang Carlos yung lo?
00:32Kasi, do I talk in Tagalog, English?
00:35Whichever's comfortable for you.
00:37Because when I met him, of course he just wanted to learn how to tumble, tumble.
00:42But when I see him, I could see the passion in his eyes.
00:46And he wants to make, he doesn't have a coach but he's copying the gymnast.
00:52So I said, this boy is really, you know, so I asked him to join the Batang Pinoy.
00:58But he's 12 years and under and he has no coach and he won medals.
01:02That's when I said, this boy, you know, I asked him to join the Paralumpang Bansa with a coach this time.
01:09He won again medals.
01:11And then I said, oh, I'll give you a, we had a foreign coach in the gym visiting.
01:18And I said, it's Japanese.
01:20I said, can you stay over and coach this young gymnast that I think you would love because he's very, very good?
01:27And he said, yes, I will.
01:29So he joined and he was, he said, can I bring him to the World Championship, Junior Championship in Russia?
01:37I said, baka we will become kulela, I don't want.
01:41He said, no, no, no, no, he needs exposure.
01:44So we brought him.
01:45Do you know, he came bronze, Russia, China, Philippines.
01:51I was amazed.
01:54And the technical official in the, of the gymnastic told me, Cynthia, take care of that boy.
01:58Because if he did well in the pommel horse, he would have won silver medal.
02:05That's when I said, okay, I'll be more careful about it.
02:09And then his coach wanted to go back to Tokyo because he wanted to learn how to coach better.
02:15He wanted to go to school.
02:16And he gave me a big dinner.
02:18And I was wondering why he's giving me, I'm saying goodbye.
02:21I said, you cannot leave Carlos.
02:24I said, but I have to go back to Tokyo.
02:26And I said, is it okay if I send Carlos with you?
02:31He said, of course.
02:32He said, yeah, we'll make it.
02:34So that's when I started to beg for money for him.
02:38Was it a concern at the beginning?
02:40Because as Carlos mentioned, he started relatively late, at a relatively later age, at the age of 12.
02:47Was that a concern for you at that time?
02:49No, no.
02:50Because when you have it, you have it.
02:52When you have it, it's inborn.
02:56And he wanted really, he wanted to, you could see he was hungry for it.
03:04He wanted it, you know, for the Philippines, for us, you know.
03:09So you can tell.
03:12You can tell by, I have experience.
03:16And now we have plenty who want it.
03:20You mentioned that you had to scrounge around for funding.
03:24How hard is it to fund training abroad?
03:29Very, very hard.
03:30Especially for gymnastics.
03:31They said, what's gymnastics?
03:33Nothing.
03:34They know nothing about gymnastics.
03:35And they said, have we ever won a medal in gymnastics?
03:38Never.
03:39I mean, nobody wanted to help me.
03:42Like I said, I was a professional beggar.
03:45But MVP came through, and he came through and he gave us the money.
03:49And I was able to send him, and I was so happy.
03:52And once in a while, I visited him and see how he was doing in school.
03:56And that's why we're going to go back to his school to thank him,
04:01to thank the school for taking care of him, you know.
04:04So the plan is to go back, visit the coach and the school?
04:08The school, yes.
04:09Especially the school and the coach, yes, to say thank you.
04:13Because the school before, he was just going to school,
04:16but I had to write a letter and ask the president of the school
04:19if he could use the hyperbaric chamber, the fitness gym.
04:22They have a beautiful school.
04:24And he was not able to use it.
04:26And the coach said, please try to talk to the president
04:30so that Carlos can use it.
04:33So we did.
04:34And he said, yes, he approved it.
04:36So he has to thank.
04:37We have to thank him.
04:38Are there concrete plans already?
04:40Is there a timeline for when you plan to go?
04:43Maybe in November.
04:45Before the end of the year?
04:47Before the end of the year, but later on.
04:49Have you talked to them over the phone or via email?
04:53No, we were in Tokyo.
04:56When was that, Carlos?
04:57February.
04:58February.
04:59We were in Tokyo with the Japan Olympic Committee,
05:02and we already thanked them also.
05:04And we said, but this one is for the school.
05:08For the school in particular.
05:09Yeah, in particular.
05:10And at that time, we told them about the school,
05:12they're thanking, but we have to go personally, I think, to the school.
05:16Yes, Carlos, the golden hero of Philippine Gymnastics.
05:20Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.
05:23And so would you say that the golden hero has ushered in
05:26the golden era of Philippine Gymnastics?
05:28Yes, it's really now, like I told him,
05:31I have a hundred in the grassroots that wants to be another Carlos Yulo.
05:39So that, again, I need funds.
05:43It's lucky that Speaker Romualdez gave me some funds this morning
05:47for the grassroots.
05:49And I will give it to you.
05:52I mean, you have to inspire them.
05:55Yes.
05:56Inspire these young kids.
05:58Yes.
05:59It's like there's a special responsibility
06:02to be a golden hero, right, Carlos?
06:04Yes.
06:05And it's like…
06:06We can continue, yes.
06:08Yes.
06:09But Carlos mentioned earlier that his body is still looking for
06:14the return to training, and he's already preparing
06:18for the next Olympic cycle.
06:20What preparations have you, on the other hand,
06:23as President of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines,
06:26also been making for the LA 2028?
06:30Well, plenty, because before the LA 2028,
06:34we still have the SEA Games, we still have the Asian Games,
06:37we still have the World Championship.
06:39He has to qualify first.
06:40He has to go through all these qualifications.
06:42It's getting harder and harder.
06:44And I have to qualify a team.
06:46If we can, we can do it.
06:48I want him not to go alone, but to have a team
06:51of four other gymnasts.
06:53So we really…
06:54I'm trying to look now for a foreign coach now to come,
06:57not only for him, but for the other gymnasts
07:00that we have in the gym.
07:02So these four months, while they're resting
07:06and just training without any pressure of being
07:11in a competition, I'm going to look for a good coach.
07:15But I have to introduce them that they make sure
07:17that they work together well, not just anybody.
07:20It has to be they introduce, and if he says,
07:23okay, Mom, we like him, okay.
07:25Are there other gymnasts that you're eyeing already
07:28in particular to be part of the team?
07:30Yeah, we have.
07:31We have his cousin Ivan.
07:34Ivan Cruz is very good.
07:36He just needs a bit more.
07:38We have Miguel Bezana, who's also very good.
07:41We have Ace De Leon.
07:43All of those.
07:45And of course, his brother.
07:47He will be in time for the Olympics of 2028.
07:50How old is he now?
07:52Sixteen.
07:53Sixteen.
07:54Ah, so by then, twenty.
07:55Yeah.
07:56Oh, okay.
07:57According to the federation, you pick at the age of 25.
08:02Oh, okay.
08:03So he still has it.
08:04He's still our golden hero.
08:07Is there any truth to reports that you're also
08:10eyeing Jake Jarman to be part of the Philippine team?
08:14We were talking to him, but I talked to the high officials
08:18of the Philippines, of the British.
08:21These are the presidents and the CEOs,
08:23and they said, Cynthia, we spent so much money with Jake
08:26that we cannot release him.
08:28He's really a part of our team.
08:30Please, I hope you understand.
08:32The only way he can be part of the Philippine team
08:34is if he himself asks for it or his mom.
08:38So it's up to them.
08:40It's up to them if they want to be part of it.
08:42They know what we want, so it's up to him.
08:45I don't want to pressure him.
08:47So if he wants to be part of the Philippine team,
08:49we are open arms.
08:51We are inviting him and giving red carpet treatments
08:54so he will love to come.
08:56Same as what Carlos and the other athletes have experienced,
09:00the grand welcome and all that.
09:04Were you expecting that the welcome,
09:07the homecoming parade, the Heroes Parade would be that big?
09:10For him, yeah, I was.
09:12Because I told him in the Philippine Embassy in Paris,
09:18all the Filipinos were already there.
09:21Carlos, this is only one-fourth of what you're going to receive
09:24in the Philippines.
09:26I was so excited.
09:28He's going to be a hero.
09:30Two golds.
09:32In Asia, we're number one.
09:35No, in the SEA Games, the Southeast Asian Games,
09:38we're number one.
09:40Because of the two gold medals from Carlos.
09:43Speaking of the Heroes Parade, the homecoming parade,
09:48it recently came out that the other gymnasts, the female gymnasts,
09:53were asking why they were not invited.
09:56We just wanted to clarify.
09:58I'm glad you asked that.
10:00I'm so glad you asked that.
10:02They were not invited because, first of all,
10:04they were not here and we knew nothing about it.
10:06I got the message late.
10:10He didn't know anything.
10:12I didn't know anything.
10:14How would we invite them?
10:16They should be there when they have been part of it.
10:21I didn't know.
10:23In fact, from my trip to Paris to the Philippines,
10:28straight to Malacanang, I didn't expect that.
10:31I was not dressed for Malacanang.
10:33It's a good thing I had a jacket.
10:35I didn't change.
10:37I didn't have makeup.
10:39It was straight.
10:42How would I tell them, come, come?
10:44In the U.S.?
10:46You only found out about the homecoming parade on the flight?
10:50Yes.
10:51En route to Manila.
10:52I heard something that Carlos will have and the medalists.
10:56I thought it's only Carlos and the medalists.
10:58I didn't think all the Olympians would be invited.
11:02But they invited, finally, all the Olympians, even the officials.
11:05I didn't know I was going to be even invited.
11:08I invited even part of my board because they said,
11:12go ahead, invite.
11:14Last minute.
11:16They're from the U.S.
11:17How can they come all of a sudden?
11:19Very difficult.
11:20Have you had a chance to talk to the female gymnasts about this?
11:23Because one of them, if I'm not mistaken, it was Levi,
11:28who posted a screenshot of your conversation.
11:32She said that they were hoping to be invited,
11:36but they had no idea that something like this was happening.
11:39What was your reaction to her sharing this conversation online?
11:45Somebody asked me if I said I would not reply because it just gets me upset.
11:50They should be smart enough to know that if I had known about it,
11:55you think I would not invite them?
11:57Of course I will.
11:58I'm proud of them.
12:00This is the first time in the history that they're getting,
12:03they haven't won, but they're getting finances.
12:07They're getting incentives.
12:09Even their coaches, their foreign coaches are getting it.
12:12First time.
12:13Before never.
12:17I just texted them in our chat,
12:20you should be honored and happy and stop complaining.
12:26You can get out of the Philippine team if you want.
12:30I want Filipinos anyway.
12:34Ms. Cynthia, at this point, what is it that we will be watching out for?
12:38What's next?
12:39Is it the SEA Games?
12:40Is there another competition that we should be watching out for?
12:42There's a competition called IMUG.
12:45IMUG is for the martial arts.
12:47It's in Thailand.
12:48They canceled it.
12:50We're afraid that they might, because there's a new prime minister.
12:53I'm afraid that the prime minister might cancel also the SEA Games.
12:57But in the Philippine Olympic Committee today,
13:00with the meeting, I kind of felt that they're not going to cancel it
13:04because all the NSAs, us, all the countries, NLCs will complain.
13:09They want to be part of the SEA Games.
13:13Otherwise, another country would bid for it.
13:16Even we will bid for it.
13:18The Philippines will bid for it.
13:20Okay.
13:21Very exciting times ahead.
13:23We know you're very busy.
13:25Thank you so much for taking time out to be with us.
13:28Carlos, this is the last question.
13:30I remember when I interviewed you in 2022,
13:33you said that you needed a championship experience
13:38because you haven't reached the gold yet.
13:41You already have the championship experience.
13:45Does this mean there are even greater things in store for Carlos Yulo?
13:49Of course.
13:50There's always more.
13:56You know what he told me?
13:58He said he wants to do this all around.
14:01You know how hard that is?
14:03To win all around.
14:05Yes, because that's all the events.
14:07Floors.
14:08Pummel horse.
14:09Right now, he's 12 in the world.
14:11He wants to be up there.
14:13That's what we're looking forward to in the next Olympics in LA.
14:19Thank you so much.
14:21Thank you so much, Carlos.
14:22Thank you, Ms. Cynthia, for being with us and joining us today.
14:24Thank you very much.
14:25Thank you very much.
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