The Beijing Olympics opening ceremony was marvelous. It showcased in detail the Chinese culture and arts that have taken its modern form after thousands of years of refining and preserving!
The fire cauldron was lit by Li Ning who at the the very center of the stadium lifted from his feet and ascended to the top of Bird's Nest and started running on air like those in typical Chinese superhero movies!
Overall though, the opening ceremony was majestic!
What's Wrong with Philippine Sports?
The Philippines sent a mere handful of athletes- a little more than a dozen!
The athletes sent were Harry Tanamor (boxing), Miguel Molina, James Walsh, Joan Christel Simms, Ryan Arabejo and Daniel Coakley (swimming) Sheila Mae Perez and Ryan Rexel Fabriga (diving), Hidilyn Diaz (weight lifting) and long jumpers Maretella Torres and Henry Dagmil. Shooters Eric Ang and Javier have been in Beijing since last week, while taekwondo jins Mary Antoinette Rivero and Tshomlee Go will only depart on Aug. 11 since their event will begin Aug. 20.
There are countries that have sent lesser number of athletes, but for a nation like ours that became known all over Asia for being one of the most athletic countries and won a lot of golds in the early days of the Asian Games, instead of progressed, digressed egregiously in sports over the last several decades.
If you take note of the names of the athletes we sent, three of them have foreign names!
We sent a little more than a dozen athletes most of whom perhaps were trained some place else, to the biggest sporting event in the world. I don't know with you, but I'd say, that reflects the pathetic state of Philippine Sports! Filipinos know nothing but boxing and basketball!
How do we improve our passion for sports? There really aren't many programs that promote athleticism in the country. I mentioned in my last entry, I met Lloyd Dyson last year when he came to visit Manila from the UK (his mother is Filipina). He was just 16 when I met him but hed already been engrossed with rowing! I know rowing is typically British. But the point is, at his young age, he already possesses the passion for that sport! What caught his attention? What sparked his interest? What did the adults around him do to develop a greater passion for his sport?
We do not have a lot of programs that allow for the discovery of skills in slumber within every kid! As a kid, all I learned to play were volleyball and basketball. We had other kinds of sports at school and I had friends who were promising at every sport. But none of them ever pursued. The most agile friend I had who would have made a great gymnast now runs a small grocery store. A classmate named Donn and his team were some of the strongest volleyball players I've known. Donn now runs a beauty parlor! They are among those who have been discovered to be gifted, whose passion for their sports have been doused by a major Philippine sporting reality!
Reality: IT DOES NOT PAY TO BE AN ATHLETE!
And because of that, sporting has become a mere hobby for many Filipinos. We would excel in our fields according to our own set definition of the word "excellence"! We make it quite well in the Southeast Asian Games. We barely win 10 Golds in the Asian Games anymore. Our involvement in the olympics is reduced to mere participation!
We have a measly national budget for sports! Our supposed sporting experts go to work just to get paid and forget that they are to forge in young lives a love for sports.
The games have just begun. I'm praying for our athletes, and I still hope that the Philippines will get a medal!
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