Team Philippines shines in SMART Sports’ docu series

The Philippine’s 22-man delegation is set to bring pride and glory to the country in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and fans will get an exclusive look at the athletes’ journeys through a new series of documentaries, starting Thursday, July 18.

SMART Sports is set to release a four-part series entitled “Puso in Paris 2024” directed by Clev Mayuga.

“I think our investment in the Olympics and in our athletes has a lot to do with our connection to these athletes. The main purpose of this series is to get to know them a little bit more so we can root for them, cheer for them, and be with them,” said PLDT and Smart Vice President Jude Turcuatco in an interview with Tiebreaker Times.

The series opens with an episode on the Philippines’ golden boy artistic gymnastics, Carlos Edriel Yulo, who shares how this Olympics will be different after his struggles in last year’s Tokyo edition.

The second episode, airing on Friday, July 19, will spotlight the boxers, including Tokyo 2020 medalists Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial, and Aira Villegas, as they share how boxing has helped them rise from humble beginnings. The second part of the episode, meanwhile, centers on Tokyo 2020 Olympics silver medalist Carlo Paalam and first-time Olympian Hergie Bacyadan.

The final two episodes will air the following Thursday and Friday, July 25 and July 26.

The third episode will dive into the preparations of the first-time Olympian Vanessa Sarno, Elreen Ando, and John Ceniza and how they are upholding the legacy set by the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic gold medalist, Hidilyn Diaz.

The series wraps with World No. 2 pole vaulter EJ Obiena, who is on a quest to fulfill a new dream of becoming an Olympic gold medalist.

The Philippines first joined the Olympic games a hundred years ago. For this year’s Summer Games, the Philippines will be represented by 22 warriors aiming for the podium finish.

“Puso in Paris 2024” will be available for free on the Smart Livestream App.