WHAT AILS PHILIPPINE SPORTS ?

Below are the gold medal tallies of the Philippines in the last four stagings of the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games and Olympics :

Southeast Asian Games
2009 - 38 golds
2011 - 36
2013 - 29
1025 - 29

Asian Games :
2002 - 3 golds
2006 - 4
2010 - 3
2014 - 1

Olympics :
2000 - 0 golds
2004 - 0
2008 - 0
2012 - 0

Clearly, the figures show that the country has deteriorated in sports performance through the years.

Filipino sports officials conveniently blame the lack of government support for the deterioration of the country's performance in sports. Philippine Olympic Committee President Jose Cojuangco Jr., in a CNN interview, blamed the government's lack of financial support for the dismal showing of the Philippines in the last SEA Games. But there are several countries that do not give financial support to athletes. The US is one prime example of a country that does not give government financial assistance to its athletes. US athletes and national federations rely solely on private sponsorship. Yet despite the total absence of government support, US athletes continue to dominate just about every major international sporting event.

And this is where the problem lies for Philippine sports. Filipino sports officials lack the vision, capability and credibility to tap the private sector to do its share in sports development. With the likes of Peping Cojuangco and his cohorts running the show for Philippine sports, what reputable sponsor will want to come in and work with them ? Volleyball was lucky enough to corner a 250M peso sponsorship from PLDT Home Ultera and SM Group of Companies. But hand it to Cojuangco and his men to mess things up. Now, volleyball does not receive anything.

Filipino sports fans are to blame for the country's poor performance in sports as well. Fans, and the general public for that matter, refuse to demand excellence from Filipino athletes and officials. The common Filipino fan is happy just to see his or her idol play. Mere participation is highly regarded with complete disregard for a podium finish.

I also believe that the Filipino culture is not right for sports. Filipinos do not have the patience to persevere and put in long hours of practice that last a lifetime. We love shortcuts and the easiest way out. We are impatient as a people.

We also do not value teamwork as much as other nations. Thus, we hardly do well in team sports. Except for dragon boat, the country has yet to produce a world champion in team sports.

Lastly, we generally regard sports as something petty and insignificant. We see sports more as a form of entertainment. Thus, we remain the joke in the world of sports. We do not see sports as something that can unify and bring pride.

Unless Filipinos change their thinking about sports, Philippine sports will remain in the pits forever.