POC and Microsoft Join Forces to Empower the Philippine Delegation to the 2008 Beijing Olympics


Photo shows from left to right: Rafael Rollan, Managing Director, Microsoft Philippines; Jose Cojuangco, Jr., President, Philippine Olympic Committee and Ivan Franco, OEM Marketing Manager, Microsoft Philippines during the announcement of the Olympinoy campaign at the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum

As the 2008 Beijing Olympics draws near, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and Microsoft Philippines have partnered on a campaign with the objective of empowering the Filipino athletes at the forthcoming Summer Olympics. Dubbed as Olympinoy, the campaign aims to enjoin Filipinos from all walks of life to rally behind our Philippine Olympic team through various marketing campaigns for consumers and Microsoft partners.

This is Microsoft’s first initiative in the Philippines geared towards sports. According to POC President Peping Cojuangco, the POC is optimistic about the partnership. “The excellence of the Filipino athlete has been recognized around the world and it’s high time that we gather all the support for these outstanding athletes to boost their morale for the forthcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics. We are all behind this effort. I hope that with the help of the Olympinoy Campaign, each of us will be able to do our share in motivating our athletes to strive hard and do their best.”

“We at Microsoft Philippines have realized that an athlete’s skills go beyond sports – they have the ability to move the hearts of their fellow Filipinos, inspire and unite the nation through sports. With our mission of enabling Filipinos throughout the world to realize their full potential through technology, we are also committed to helping our athletes the best way we can,” said Rafael Rollan, Managing Director, Microsoft Philippines.

As part of this commitment, Microsoft donated P1,000,000.00 to the POC, which could be used as additional funding for the training of the Philippine team.

In addition to the above-mentioned donation, Microsoft, through Olympinoy, has an ongoing fundraising campaign wherein a portion of Microsoft OEM product license purchases will be used to build a pot as a reward to the Filipino Olympian who would bring home a gold medal.

If more than one athlete wins a gold medal, the incentive will be divided equally among all gold medalists. In the event that no gold medal is won, the total amount raised in the pot will be donated to the POC to fund the training and development of future Filipino Olympians.

Rollan added, “With this endeavor, we are providing opportunities for our customers and the general Filipino public to contribute to the future and well-being of our Filipino athletes in their own little way. We are determined to support our Filipino athletes even after the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Olympinoy is just the start.”

”Any form of boost for all our athletes is always welcomed by the POC because our athletes do more than play sports – with their hard work and dedication, they bring pride to our nation,” Cojuangco concluded.

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For more information, press only:
Mae Rivera-Moreno (mrivera@microsoft.com, +632 8608613)
Joy Mirasol (joy.mirasol@perceptions-inc.com, +632 8913485)