With one day of competition still remaining at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, the Philippines has already surpassed its medal harvest from the previous Asian Games in China. The present tally stands at four golds, eight silvers and 16 bronzes, for a total haul of 28 medals in all. In Hangzhou, the Philippines finished with four golds, two silvers and 12 bronzes, or 18 medals.
That is a substantial improvement. But perhaps more important than the numbers is what they tell us about Philippine sports.
The four gold medals in Nagoya came from Carlos Yulo’s two victories in gymnastics, EJ Obiena’s pole-vault triumph and Jeus Yape’s historic taekwondo gold. In Hangzhou, our four golds came from Obiena in athletics, Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez in jiu-jitsu, and the Gilas Pilipinas basketball miracle win.
So while our gold-medal count has remained the same, the composition has changed. Gymnastics has emerged as a major source of gold, taekwondo has broken through with its first-ever Asian Games gold, while jiu-jitsu and basketball did not repeat their gold-medal performances.
The bigger story, however, may be in the silver and bronze medals. Our silver haul has quadrupled from two to eight, while our bronze medals have risen from 12 to 16. Medals have also come from a wider range of sports – including MMA, 3×3 basketball, sepak takraw, archery, taekwondo, soft tennis, karate, esports, weightlifting, surfing, tennis and beach volleyball.
That tells us that more Filipino athletes are now capable of competing at the highest level in Asia. The challenge is to turn more of those podium finishes into gold.
Could China’s status as host in Hangzhou have affected the comparison? Did China’s personnel availability at home lead to the medal domination in 2022? Certainly, hosting can bring advantages. But China has been a dominant Asian sporting power regardless of venue, and its enormous medal haul in Nagoya demonstrates that its strength goes far beyond home advantage.
Perhaps, the more important question is whether our performance in Nagoya represents improvement. It does. The question is: can we make sure this improvement becomes a trend rather than a one-time spike? How do we do that?
This is where our National Sports Associations (NSAs) must become more deliberate – and more accountable. Medal accountability must begin long before the Asian Games. Each NSA should identify, perhaps four years out: a. measurable annual performance targets; b. athletes with genuine Asian-medal potential; c. emerging athletes who could reach that level; d. the events where the Philippines has realistic podium possibilities; e. the coaches and training environment required; and e. international competitions needed for exposure.
We should not wait until the next Asian Games to discover whether we have medal prospects. Four years before the Games, every NSA should already know which athletes have genuine Asian-medal potential, which young athletes are being developed to replace them, and what international exposure, coaching, sports science, competition and financial support they require.
Progress should be reviewed annually, and reported to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). Are our athletes improving their rankings? Are they closing the gap with the best in Asia? Are promising juniors becoming senior contenders? Are coaches being upgraded? Are we producing enough athletes so that one injury or retirement does not wipe out an entire medal program?
Accountability should not mean simply asking an NSA why it failed to win a medal. It should mean asking much earlier: What have you done to produce one?
Nagoya gives us reason to celebrate. We have produced more medals, more medal-winning sports and several breakthrough performances. But perhaps its greatest value is that it gives us a benchmark, a new clearer starting point.
The next Asian Games should not be another four-year wait followed by another medal count. It should be the result of four years of deliberate work.
The medals we win in the next Asian Games will be determined, in large measure, by what we do with the athletes we have today – and by the urgency we demonstrate in dealing with it.
Cover pic courtesy of TheGame.ph
