TWO-TIME Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo will skip the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand to give way to other Filipino gymnasts, the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) confirmed on Saturday.
GAP president Cynthia Carrion announced that Yulo personally decided not to compete in the regional tournament scheduled for December.
“Yes, it is confirmed. Carlos decided that he will not join,” Carrion said.
In a separate statement, Carrion explained that Yulo wanted to give his teammates a chance to shine.
“Carlos wants to give chances for his team to win it, and with him there, it will remove the chances for his teammates that can win it,” she added.
Carrion earlier revealed that the SEA Games Federation had revised its rules, limiting male gymnasts to only one apparatus in the men’s artistic category, a change that she said would affect Yulo’s participation.
“Carlos cannot compete in all. He can only compete in one apparatus. They’re only giving everybody one apparatus,” Carrion said, adding that if Yulo were allowed to join all events, “he’s going to win all, and nobody will win anything anymore.”
She also hinted that the rule change may have been influenced by Yulo’s dominance in previous competitions.
Meanwhile, Yulo’s younger brother, Karl Eldrew, will lead Team Philippines’ campaign in gymnastics alongside national standouts Juancho Besana and Ivan Cruz.
The 2025 SEA Games will be held in Thailand from December 9 to 20.
