The 2018 Winter Olympics is less than a month away but the Philippines’ only delegate still needs support funding his road to Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Earlier this month, 17-year-old Filipino American Asa Miller, who is set to represent the country in the slalom ski event, launched a campaign on fundraising website GoFundMe.
“This year, I have a one of a kind chance to fulfill a dream and a goal to ski race for the Philippines in the 2018 Winter Olympics,” Miller said on his GoFundMe page.
According to Miller, the funds raised will go towards expenses like equipment costs and race entry fees as he tries to qualify for the games. ABS-CBN News reported that the Philippine government is not financially supporting Miller, so he and his family would have to shoulder all the expenses personally.
His goal is to raise US$7,350 (PHP372,206) but as of posting time, he has only received a little more than US$1,000 (PHP50,640).
The Olympics will be held from Feb. 9 – 25 but Miller plans to fly out of the U.S. on Feb. 5.
Miller grew up in Portland, Oregon and is currently a senior at Lincoln High School in Portland. He started skiing when he was a toddler and competed as early as 6 years old.
The last Philippine delegate to the Winter Olympics was figure skater Michael Christian Martinez who qualified for the 2014 Sochi games. He is the first skater from Southeast Asia to qualify for the Winter Olympics.
Being a tropical country, the Philippines rarely sends delegates to the Winter Olympics and has only joined four times since the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
with reports from ABS-CBN News.
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