The 2008 Beijing Olympics ended with a very flamboyant and elaborate ceremony in the China’s new landmark, the Bird’s Nest. The recently concluded Olympics is said to be the most successful edition in terms of organization, sportsmanship. The opening and closing ceremonies were just spectacular. For the first time, an Asian country topped the gold medal count. And that was China as many expected. Being the host country, they had delegates in all the sports and disciplines. Having more than 600 Chinese Olympians, the favor was really theirs.
For the third time since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, we came home empty-handed. But at least we got a Gold Medal consolation from Willy Wang for the Wushu event. Although this was just a demo event and is not part of the main Olympic sports. Nonetheless, it was wonderful to see fellow Pinoy Willy as he was raising the Philippine flag. Even though he looks more like a Chinese than a Filipino and has a Chinese twang, at least he can sing the Philippine national anthem.
Here are the rankings of other Asian countries:
- Rank 1 - China: 51/21/28 (gold/silver/bronze)
- Rank 7 - South Korea: 13/10/8
- Rank 8 - Japan: 9/6/10
- Rank 29 - Kazakhstan: 2/4/7
- Rank 31 - Thailand: 2/2/0
- Rank 33 - North Korea: 2/1/3
- Rank 42 - Indonesia: 1/1/3
- Rank 50 - India: 1/0/2
- Rank 71 - Malaysia: 0/1/0
- Rank 71 - Singapore: 0/1/0
- Rank 71 - Vietnam: 0/1/0
- Rank 80 - Chinese Taipei: 0/0/4
Once again, China, South Korea and Japan proved their dominance in Asia and in the international stage as they graced the Top 10 nations with most medals. Thailand, on the other hand affirmed their lofty position as the powerhouse in the Southeast Asian region, followed by perennial contender, Indonesia. Our neighbors, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam secured their 71st slot with one silvers each. And guess what we got? Zero.
Headlines here and there consider this year’s Olympic bid as the “Biggest Flop in Philippine Sports”. Well, I think our performance during the 24th SEA Games was worse than this. Dropping from being the champions as many anticipated to a very disappointing sixth place. We also failed to send our volleyball teams in the SEA Games for reasons I cannot comprehend.
What is the problem with Philippine Sports? We do have talented athletes I think. A sports official explains that other countries spend a lot more (at least double) than we do so that’s why we really did not stand a chance against these developed countries. That they trained for years in order to prepare for international sporting events like the Olympics while us on the other hand, only devoted months of training for preparation. We think short-term. And this is just one of the many problems.
While the government is spending millions of pesos on senseless projects that obviously are avenues for graft and corruption, our Filipino athletes and Philippine Sports in general are suffering sad to say. As much as our athletes would like to train and excel, they could not. How could they if they do not have sufficient funding for world-class training to begin with.
Most of our talented Filipino athletes come from far flung provinces, leaving their families behind just lo live their passion for sports and bring honor to our country. Many calls are being made nowadays. Some say that we should start preparing as early as now for the 2012 London Olympics and the coming Olympics’ beyond that, and the coming Lao SEA Games next year and the 2010 Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, China. Some suggest that all PSC and NSA officials should step down to give way to brighter, more idealistic and dynamic minds to route Philippine Sports back on track. But I wonder if these calls will be heeded and significant changes will take place.
So what are your thoughts about the recently concluded Beijing Olympics?
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There are 21 comments to this entry
invite po namin kayo s 3rd miranda cup at metro manila college, novaliches every saturday and sunday lang naman yun! exciting na kasi ung mga games kasi leading ang ateneo de manila…see you there!!tnx!!
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yay!!! as in “the st. jude” who played in the last national open? hehe
kinikilig naman ako… i’ll try..
thanks for the info. so kelan Ateneo vs. St. Jude?
sa sept.14 po game stjude vs. admu 9am.see u der.thanx
is this billy tongco?
there’s no one to blame,not winning in the Olympics is not something we should be sad about,we should be happy coz we were able to send delegates despite all the adversities such as rice crisis(weak economy).if you’ll compare our players against other countries you’ll really see the difference in built(theyre towering height and perfect built).we are just so lucky to have slot in the Olympics,even our players doesn’t seem capable of winning coz comparing the talent of other countries,we are really no match from them which means we aren’t training that hard to really win a gold in the Olympics,if you really love the sport,passion is the word,the archer could have hit more bull’s eye than he did,our diver could have shown a more technical dive like the others,our taekwondo could have at least kicked his opponent,our swimmer could have entered at least the elimination,our boxer could have scored enough,our lifter could have gone higher than what a normal lifter can do,and so on..in the end,i’m just so proud of them because they were able to compete but i didn’t expect much from them coz there is just not enough passion/commitment from them, we lack the best genes of athletes and financing for them to win..
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wala namang question dun sa passion ng mga players. it’s just that the filipinos are hungry for people whom we can look up to. war in mindanao, soaring food prices, lahat ng nangyayari ngayon masama. if only sports was a priority, siguro we have one a gold medal, then people will look up to that person, make him/her an inspiration for us to excel and strive harder, he or she could be the spark of nationalism that is slowly disappearing in our hearts. my heart swelled while watching our flag being raised durng the awarding ceremony of willy wang’s triumph… sa tingin ko, hindi naman tayo mahirap na bansa talaga, wala lang sa tamang direksyon ang pamamalakad. the government could have prioritized health, education, sports, social welfare, culture and agriculture….
siguro as of now, we can focus on sports that does not favor physical attributes, like
badminton
table tennis
gymnastics
diving
archery
shooting
weightlifting
synchronized swimming
and maybe some that we can see some potential such as
water polo
beach volleyball
lawn tennis
badminton
fencing
soccer
if only..
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hi sly-xy… i will disagree on what you said… its not all about the height and the perfect built… its on the experiences and enough trainings. if only they are given the chance to train longer and exposed to competitions,am pretty sure they are more competitive than they are now.how will these provinciano’s afford and survive their day to day living, practices and trainings if not being supported? i can see that our athletes have the passion, nakita mo ba yung isang athlete natin na umiyak when he was interviewed by patricia bemudez hizon? kasi ang sabi niya after the game, pag nasa pinas na siya masasayanguli ang lahat ng pagod at training niya kasi relax uli kasi nga wala support from the government, they will only support our athletes kung malapit na ang competition, before thinking on how much to give to an athelete who will bring gold from the olympics, think first of giving them enough financial support for them to carry on their trainings? bakit di pagbigyan ng 15 million ang bawat athlete para sa training? how can you give them reward if they cant perform well due to lack of experience and trainings?
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I would have to ’second the motion’ on what Solid_FEU pointed out
In volleyball for example, I think it’s a bonus if you’re tall and flexible. Like they say, “height is might”. But I don’t think our DNA or genes would make us qualify to play in sporting events like the Olympics. Athletes are made, not born (if you know what I mean).
China is a perfect example of a country which provide and train their athletes very well.
i guess priorities din… we keep on pushing basketball, height could be a debatable issue here but it is a solid basis for a change in direction.
pwede naman tayo siguro sa:
table tennis, badminton, diving, archery, weightlifting, synchronized swimming, gymnastics… hindi naman kailangan ng height talaga sa mga sports na to e, training lang talaga siguro..
tapos i can sens some potentials in football, beach volley, water polo, though mas challenging ang daang tatahakin dito….
look at cuba…
we’ve already trained,for decades,but still we didn’t win,if you’ll scrub your athletes from the tallest to smallest,you won’t logically pick the smallest for swimming running basketball volleyball badminton and some,height is vital in some sports,that’s why michelle carolino find it hard to score against tall blockers and our small good setters are always replaced by tall but not as good just to get more blocking percentage,never will you see other countries sending athletes smaller than ours,if you see one,you’ll just just get shocked why ours are much taller,just look at the standings and you’ll see that height is really vital,imagine,if you got the height of russia,you will also be able to block 17 points in 4 sets,that’s crazy hell of points for blocking,Beach Volley,top 2 teams USA and Brazil got the Best blocker Awards coz they got the tallest player in the game Phil Dalhausser at 6′9 and Koreng at 6′8,don’t blame anyone because the blame will only come back to you coz you yourself is not doing enough for the cause.let us just be happy and enjoy the games even if we can only send few in the Olympics,let’s not get bitter about something we ourselves are the fault
hi again slyxy, training fo decades? really? i dont think we have one. the sole olympic veteran we have today is shiela mae perez, shes in the team for 9 years now and i dont think she trains continuously. during the sydney olympics shiela mae perez trained for a year only.badminton dont need height, the indonesians, malaysians and thailanders are not tall but they still dominate the badminton world along with the chinese. vietnam and ethiopia dont have tall athletes yety the coveted medals.
meaning we should blame the athletes? for not doing their best?
i am definitely not bitter, i am just disappointed of the system.
China, USA, Australia, Japan and Great Britain give so much importance to sports and see where they are right now…
maidagdag ko, si hidilyn perez, buo ang puso na makapag uwi medalya, she did her best and she did everything she can, and the passion was there, she cried in her last lift…
sly-xy, i hope you saw that….
our national player for badminton is kennevic ascuncion,still smaller than taufik hidayat,way smaller than Lin DAn,and taufik is now lower in the rankings,dominated by the chinese india and europe,weve been playing the sport for decades already is what i mean,it is the same case as other countries,talent is something almost equal to every national athletes of different countries that’s why talent is not much of a factor in choosing a winner,variables such as height and built becomes vital in matches wherein all contestants are equally talented,all can be skilled but not all can be tall,and hidilyn is really young and short,even if we trained her that much,a bulkier lady will surpass her if shell undergo the same training,outcome could have been better if someone bigger and stronger were available,we didnt have any choice that’s why we just placed hidylyn,if many bigger and as passionate and determined filipina tried weightlifting then we didnt have to send young hidyln,point,WRONG ATHLETE venture to a specific sport,if Sunshine Dizon,seems to be as weight brachet as hidylyn,will train as hard as hidylin,i think she could be a better lifter with her form.
you will not understand it if you aren’t the player itself,so if you want to know the answer,then ask a national athlete,What are the advantages of other countries,i bet they’ll say better training and of course their bigger,and in any commentary in sportscast,may it be bastketball boxing volleyball swimming etc,commentators are always in favor of the bigger ones or the longer ones,because it’s obvious advantage,and most of the time,theyre right,taller wins
will disagree to you again, yeah for some of the sport height and built is an advantage but not applicable to all… have you seen the weightlifting champions of china? are they big? nope, but they were supported and trained since seven or eight something, one more, the thailand’s women weightlifter is not that big but she bagged the crown,shes been competing for years with their government’s support… we didnt have a choice because we didnt have good recruits and whats the reason why we didnt have good recruits? i know you know the answer.
its unfair to hidilyn, meaning we are forced to send her to the olympics because we dont have a choice? youre wrong buddy, we sent her to the olympics to showcase her talent, a shot to flaunt her best and to give her experience.
we have alot of taller players but left undiscovered… why? because of the system…
“What is the problem with Philippine Sports? We do have talented athletes I think. A sports official explains that other countries spend a lot more (at least double) than we do so that’s why we really did not stand a chance against these developed countries. That they trained for years in order to prepare for international sporting events like the Olympics while us on the other hand, only devoted months of training for preparation. We think short-term. And this is just one of the many problems.
While the government is spending millions of pesos on senseless projects that obviously are avenues for graft and corruption, our Filipino athletes and Philippine Sports in general are suffering sad to say. As much as our athletes would like to train and excel, they could not. How could they if they do not have sufficient funding for world-class training to begin with.”
Totally agree.
People are whining about not having gold, this and that. Our athletes are doing their best to train hard even though they get pathetic support and funds. Interesado silang magpakitang gilas sa kapwa nila Pilipino (more so to the world) pero mukhang yung kapwa nila Pilipino ang hindi interesadong manood sa mga kayang ipakita ng ating mga Atleta.
Isa pang point na hindi maintindihan nung iba. Sports isn’t just about winning. Yes, it’s sweet and all to win but to participate and give your hearts out without winning, in any sports, is just as sweet.
Support them.. then we’ll see.
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from: http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1261456&lang=EN
”
For as long as she can remember, Hidilyn Diaz has been carting five-gallon jugs of water to her home in a poor Philippines village. It was only a matter of time before she started lifting real weights.
Now, the stocky, bashful 17-year-old is one of 15 athletes from the Philippines heading to Beijing, and she is hoping her hard work and sacrifice will help her become her country’s first-ever Olympic gold medallist.
Such a feat would not only be a sporting achievement — it would earn her 15 million pesos (339,000 dollars), an unthinkable fortune in an impoverished country where a third of the population lives on a dollar a day or less.
“I will try my best,” Diaz told AFP , explaining how her Olympic dreams have changed an otherwise ordinary teenage life.
“I can’t wear sexy gowns or high heels. I can’t have a boyfriend and I walk like a boy. Sometimes I get jealous as my female friends go to school while I have to lift weights.”
Diaz, one of seven children born to a tricycle driver in a poor coastal village near the southern port of Zamboanga, started training out of necessity — her family’s two-bedroom home has no running tap water.
So every day, the first order of business is to haul two five-gallon containers of water home for the family to use for cooking, drinking and bathing.
“We have to buy our water. Each container is worth a peso (2.26 US cents),” she said.
She discovered the colourful barbell discs at age 11, at a weightlifting gym in Zamboanga run by one of her male cousins — a former national champion. Several other cousins also won national titles.
“I got curious so I began lifting,” she said.
Earlier this year, Diaz left behind the water jugs and her family for China, where she has been training with the world’s best after a top-three finish at the last Southeast Asian Games.
“I miss my mother. I have not seen her since March,” Diaz said.
Her personal bests are still far off the mark set by the 58-kg favourite, China’s Yue Hongmei, the double world champion.
But Monico Puentevella, head of the Philippine Olympic delegation, describes Diaz — the country’s first lifter in 20 years — as a “project” who is not expected to reach her full potential until the 2012 London Olympics.
The Philippines, which has seen two boxers win silver in the past 44 years, only has one fighter competing in Beijing after a dismal showing at the last world championships.
This has put added pressure on Diaz, along with two track and field entries, two divers, five swimmers, an archer, a shooter and two taekwondo jins who make up the Filipino contingent. ”
>>>>> sana wag bitiwan si hidilyn… calling psc…
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Guys, I think all of you are correct in your respective opinions and views regarding about the RP sports program. Even we have the talents and the best athletes our country can offer to win our first ever gold in Olympics, it still boils down to financial support and commitment to accomplish such programs into reality. Let’s face it! a lot of our national sports associations head are political appointed by PSC who happens have the least budget our lawmakers allocated every year. We don’t have a national sports academy or institute that will spearhead the campaign and preparation for international sports events. It is sad to say that our government has not listed this as one of the priorities. It is about time to look for private institution or business that will put a lot money in support for this dream of winning our first ever gold in olympics. The best thing to start with, is to clean up our NSA and PSC by having this officials leave their posts. Let new people to govern it with their best interest for the country not for themselves. Maybe if our government will make this move, then we will have the chance to see the Gold medal in succeeding olympics.
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Filipino athletes only excel in professional boxing (AIBA does not allow professional boxers in their sanctioned tournaments such as Olympics) and billiards, both disciplines that are not staged in Olympics.
Let’s stop dreaming for the elusive Olympic gold.
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