Improve management of sports
This year the Philippines sent its smallest delegation to the Olympic Games.
Eleven Filipino athletes went to London in the United Kingdom for the 30th summer games in modern history. They were to compete in eight events: weightlifting, archery, boxing, swimming, cycling, judo, shooting and athletics.
As of yesterday, the only sportsman left standing was Filipino-American cyclist Daniel Caluag. Boxer Mark Barriga, whom millions rooted for to win a medal, lost days ago in the round of 16 to a Kazakh opponent.
We wish all the best for Caluag, a champion BMX cyclist for four years in the United States. At the same time we continue to salute our Olympians who have finished their fights. In spite of their small number and humble resources embodied the Olympic creed:
“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”
Another four years have to go by before the next summer games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil but our athletes have to prepare in earnest now under the various national sports associations and the Philippine Olympic Committee with help from the Philippine Sports Commission.
There is much left to be desired in terms of cooperation between the PSC and the POC but if the two bodies could put their heads together they can be an effective example of private-public partnership.
They can consider, for instance, building somewhere in the country an athletes’ hub complete with state of the art facilities for games preparations.
Winning, the Olympic creed states, is not the most important thing for athletes, but would not it be nicer and would not we be prouder if our sportsmen and women came home victorious?
In Cebu, residents lined the route of the recent Cobra Ironman 70.3 triathlon race, the biggest sporting event in the locale this year. We cheered for triathletes from every corner of the world. We look forward, for a change, to a new season when we will cheer for and celebrate with our homegrown athletes after they do us prouder abroad.
