Attention now shifts to Paris as the world’s best athletes compete for gold and glory in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games happening from July 27 to August 12, 2024.

To give Filipinos a front-row view of the events wherever they are, mobile services Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), an official broadcast partner of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, is offering the most comprehensive live digital coverage via the Smart LiveStream App.

A total of 22 Filipino athletes are about to embark on the fight of their lives for gold and country, led by EJ Obiena, currently ranked among the top pole vaulters in the world.

Obiena is aiming to surpass his personal best and bring home the highly-coveted gold medal for Team Philippines.

Meanwhile, world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo, known for his exceptional and thrilling performances on the floor, is a strong contender as well for multiple medals in Paris.

In the boxing ring, Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas, and Hergie Bacyadan have shown remarkable skill, resilience and determination.

Petecio, in particular, is looking to build on her silver medal performance from Tokyo 2020. Joining them are Eumir Marcial and Carlo Paalam, both expected to deliver powerful, knockout performances, with Marcial aiming to improve on his bronze medal from the previous Olympics while Paalam hopes to get a gold after his silver medal finish, also at Tokyo 2020.

The weightlifting team, following in the footsteps of Olympic Games gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, includes John Ceniza, Elreen Ando, and Vanessa Sarno, are all poised to make their mark in Paris.

Also worth rooting for are Lauren Hoffman in the Women’s 400m Hurdles; John Cabang Tolentino in the Men’s 110m Hurdles, talented gymnasts Aleah Finnegan, Levi Jung-Ruivivar, and Emma Malabuyo in the all-around events; Joanie Delgaco in the Women’s Single Sculls, and Samantha Catantan in Women’s Foil Fencing.

Golf enthusiasts can cheer for Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina, and swimming fans will be following Kayla Sanchez in the Women’s 100m Freestyle and Jarod Hatch in the Men’s 100m Butterfly.

Last but certainly not the least, Kiyomi Watanabe will represent the Philippines in Judo, competing in the Women’s -63kg category

All-time high motivation

To get an intimate glimpse of our athletes’ pre-game training and motivation, Puso in Paris 2024—a Smart-produced documentary series—will be available for streaming on the Smart LiveStream App and Smart’s social media pages (Smart Communications, Smart Sports, and Puso Pilipinas).

Sports fans may start streaming the Puso in Paris 2024 episodes on the following dates: July 18 featuring Carlos Yulo, July 19 with our Filipino boxers, July 23 with our weightlifters, and last but not the least, July 24 featuring EJ Obiena.

EJ Obiena assured fans and supporters across the country that they will be witnessing him at peak performance. “When I was young, my dream was to be an Olympian. Now, there’s another dream and hopefully, it’s to become an Olympic gold medalist,” Obiena said.

Nesthy Petecio echoed this by saying, “If I don’t become an Olympian, my career as an athlete would not be complete.”

On the other hand, Eumir Marcial emphasized the sacrifices they had to make. “Just to qualify for the Olympics, an athlete has to go through so much,” he said.

“I think to myself, ‘How does it feel to hear the National Anthem being played for you at the Olympics?’ That’s what I want for myself,” said Aira Villegas.

“I want to break the mentality that your first time at the Olympics is just for experience,” Vanessa Sarno said. “Even if it’s your first time, you can win.”

“We’re fighting for the Philippines. We’re representing the flag so let’s bring home medals if we can,” John Ceniza summed up.