Philippine cycling chief to receive 2024 Merit Award from Asian body

MANILA, Philippines -- The Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) will confer to PhilCycling president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino the 2024 ACC Merit Award during the continental body’s Congress next month in Kazakhstan.

ACC secretary-general Onkar Singh informed Tolentino of the award in a correspondence dated May 16.

“The Executive Committee of the Asian Cycling Confederation has decided to confer the 2024 ACC Merit Award for your exemplary service towards the development of the sport of cycling in your region,” Singh said in his letter to Tolentino.

“I feel honored,” said Tolentino, president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, who was first elected president of the PhilCycling in 2008.

The ACC Congress is scheduled on June 6 at the Hotel Kazakhstan in Almaty.

Under Tolentino’s watch at PhilCycling, Daniel Caluag raced in men’s BMX racing at the London 2012 Olympics and two years later in the Incheon 2014 Asian Games won for the country it’s one and only gold medal.

Tolentino’s also responsible for the county’s only International Cycling Union (UCI)-standard BMX racing track in Tagaytay City which hosted the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and the 2023 ACC Asian championships.

Four Philippine-registered UCI Continental Teams also emerged under Tolentino—7-Eleven-Cliqq by Road Bike Philippines, Go-For-Gold Cycling Team, Victoria Sports Pro Cycling Team and Standard Insurance by Standardized Cycling Team.

In pandemic years 2020 and 2021, Tolentino went beyond competitive cycling by donating dozens of bicycles to various communities when the bike was the most essential mode of transportation during the lockdown.