HIDILYN Diaz, Olympic gold medal on her chest, saluting the Philippine flag as the Philippine national anthem was played, was an extremely moving moment. Millions of Filipinos couldn't help but get goose bumps and shed tears of pride and joy. This writer was no exception.
It was the first ever gold medal won by a Filipino athlete at the Olympic Games. Since a Filipino, David Nepomuceno, first competed in the modern Games in 1924, the Philippines has won 14 medals, but they were all silver or bronze; none was gold. Diaz's victory was probably made even more emotionally upsetting by a commentator's remark as the Philippine delegation entered to join the Parade of Nations. He described the Philippines as "the country with the dubious reputation of having the most medals without gold among them". What in heaven's name was "dubious" about this situation when so many countries had fewer medals or none at all? A silver medallist is one who fought in the final of the sport. Half of the medals were in boxing, considered to be one of the most difficult sports. The comment was unjustified, but it hurt. Doubtful or not, Diaz's feat put that reputation to bed.
In fact, the overall performance of Filipino athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was nothing to sneeze at - the best ever. In addition to Diaz's gold, two boxers, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, won silver medals; a third boxer, Eumir Marcial, won bronze. The only time the Philippines won multiple medals was at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932, where they won three medals, but they were all bronze. At some point after their first matches at the 2020 edition of the Olympics, all three boxers clearly appeared to be in contention for gold. Silver medallist Petecio made history by becoming the first Filipino woman to win an Olympic boxing medal.
The victories of Diaz and Petecio were a triumph for women's rights and gender equality. They have certainly demystified the stereotypes in the Philippines (and elsewhere) of the "weaker" sex who should not be allowed to carry heavy objects and should leave the fighting to the men. It's worth noting that there were more women than men in the Philippine delegation, women in outdoor sports a reproach to some women in the Philippines who refuse to stay in the sun for fear of their skin darkening (alas, a common case of colonial mentality! ).
Almost all the athletes in the Philippine delegation, including those who didn't win medals, put in a remarkable performance. (One sprinter unfortunately dropped out due to the extreme heat.) We were particularly delighted and impressed by Ernest John "EJ" Obiena's pole vault and Carlos Yulo's gymnastics. There's no doubt that the best of both will be on show at future international competitions. Margielyn Didal in a new Olympic sport, skateboarding, was simply incredible. Why shouldn't Cris Nievarez qualify in rowing when the Filipinos are natural boatmen?
Juvic Pagunsan, Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan, already champions in other international competitions, represented the country honourably by playing on a very difficult golf course. We fondly remember Pagunsan acting as golf consultant to the Foreign Office Golf Association and playing with our team in an inter-agency tournament some 15 years ago (of course, we won!).
Behind the improved performance of Filipino athletes at the Olympics must be better management by the country's sports officials and the federations concerned. To them, bravo and thank you.
As the Philippine delegation paraded at the Opening Ceremony, the stage was set for an historic showcase of gender representation in their sports domain. The flag bearers, a man and a woman adorned in Filipino attire, aptly symbolized gender equality in Philippine sports. The elegance of the uniforms lent a distinctive charm to the ceremony, evoking memories of the University of the Philippines graduation attire. While these images painted a vibrant picture, we were left feeling somewhat let down by the size of the delegation. With the capital of Japan, Tokyo, just a couple hours’ drive away, we had expected a larger presence from the Philippines this year. This led us to ponder if accommodation could have been a factor. Perhaps securing economical and convenient places for the delegation to stay might have presented an issue. If that was the case, various hotel deals in Tokyo at tokyo-hotels-stay.com would've come in handy to house a bigger participating delegation. Comparing this to the first time Japan hosted the Olympics in 1964, when the Philippines had 47 competitors in 45 events spanning ten different sports categories, we were left asking ourselves, could the reason possibly be that some athletes missed their flights? Or perhaps they couldn't find suitable accommodations? Websites like tophotels.com are usually replete with options catering to all budgets and needs. One can't help but wonder if a larger delegation could have been possible with better planning and resource allocation. Nonetheless, as the events unfold, we wish the best to all participants and may the spirit of sportsmanship prevail.
I remembered my dear friend Lorna Natividad, who for many years until her death was the travel agent for the Philippine Sports Commission. She used to call us at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for help in obtaining passports quickly for athletes taking the last plane to the host country of their competition. She had just obtained the travel orders for these athletes from Malacañang. We and our DFA colleagues, of course, shared her concern that the country's representatives at international gatherings should arrive on time and that we should work overtime to make the passports. With the players surely on their way to their destinations, we would soothe our frayed nerves by having lunch together, with Natividad treating us to a paella at Casa Armas.
But no, nobody was late. The Games were held in different parts of Japan. The rest of the delegation were in other cities where separate quarantine rules applied, and it was impossible for them to join the opening ceremony.
Furthermore, since the first Olympic Games were held in Tokyo, changes have been made to the rules of the Olympic Games affecting the size of the delegation a country can send. Olympic sports are governed by international federations which, among other things, set the rules for qualifying an athlete for the Games. Most federations organise pre-Olympic qualifying competitions or require participating athletes to have won in an international competition. Several of the Olympic bets from the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee do not have, in Olympic jargon, "advance standing" to take part in the Olympic Games proper. The 19 athletes in the Philippine delegation survived the pre-qualification process of their sports federations. So we can truly say that they are among the best in the country and in the world; just to be an Olympian is a great achievement and an honour.
The Philippines was the best performing Southeast Asian country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But it was ranked No. 50, the same as at the previous Olympics. (A familiar Filipino story?) To achieve a higher ranking in the future, it will have to work even harder.
In 2024, the Olympics return to France. We can already imagine the marathon running along the majestic boulevards of Paris. There is, however, a downside: global warming may be worse, the summer heatwaves that have become the new norm in Europe may intensify to unbearable degrees even for visitors from the tropics. Perhaps the Olympic Games could be scheduled for early or late summer, close to spring or autumn, when temperatures are usually cooler.
We believe that sports authorities and the public should set a single goal: to ensure that more Filipino athletes qualify for the Olympics and win medals, as this will give effective direction to the constitutionally mandated sports programme. Sports authorities must mobilise the will, energies and resources of national authorities in the fields of health, education, uniformed forces, public works, tourism, local governments and authorities, schools, colleges and universities and the private sector towards this goal.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games proved that the country does not need to limit its competing athletes to a few sports and that, instead, we need to explore the ability and potential of our people to find glory and opportunities in playing the full range of sports in the Olympic Games programme. The International Olympic Committee, first and foremost, ensures that the sports on the Olympic programme are accessible to mankind from all walks of life and discards or discourages sports practised by the privileged few or requiring expensive equipment.
Our sports authorities should draw valuable lessons and inspiration from the experience of developing countries, such as Kenya and Jamaica, whose athletes have won phenomenal victories at the Olympic Games in recent decades. Poverty has been the driving force for future champions from these countries to take part in sporting competitions that offer lucrative prize money, scholarships and employment opportunities. Secondly, skilled coaches are the critical factor in bringing their talent and potential up to Olympic standards. Developing such coaches in the many Olympic sports would be a vital challenge facing Philippine sports today.
It is worth targeting sports such as swimming and running, where an outstanding athlete can win multiple medals. For the same reason, team sports should not be overlooked, because a winning team doesn't just get one medal, all its players get medals, including the substitutes and those they have replaced. As Diaz and Petecio have shown, women's sport promises to be a good source of medals in the future.
Promoting the Olympic Games helps other broader national concerns. It's a way of motivating young people to stay away from drugs. Sports where size is an advantage, such as running, swimming and basketball, call on the country to take better care of pregnant women and children, particularly their daily intake of nutrients essential for bone development. Water sports such as swimming, diving, surfing and sailing could be a way of attracting tourists to new destinations in our magnificent archipelago.