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From Hidilyn Diaz to Siobhan Haughey, Asia’s winning women blaze a trail to sports sponsorships
- The region boasts world-leading women weightlifters, swimmers, gymnasts and cricket players, to name just a few
- But all too often the amount of financial backing they have received has not matched their sporting success – until now
Reading Time:5 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz won her country’s only Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021 part-powered by crowdfunding from an adoring Philippine public, after the pandemic unexpectedly forced her to pay for an extra year of training.
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Money should not be an issue as she prepares for the defence of her crown in Paris next year, however – certainly from a Philippine private sector who are proud to align their brands with her extraordinary sporting achievements.
Since her historic podium finish, Diaz has been offered around US$1 million, three houses, a condominium unit from Megaworld Corporation and free flights for life from Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air and AirAsia.
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All too often, the success of Asia’s women as they surge up the global sporting rankings has not been matched by financial backing from their respective governments, especially in many smaller nations.
But there are incremental signs of change, driven by winning women who are bucking gender stereotypes and piquing the public’s interest, which in turn attracts the sponsors.
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