to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy… and to laugh along the way
We need a pathway that is visible, accessible and continuous. We need a grassroots sports program could help identify talent outside the major urban centers. We need a successful pilot program that could demonstrate how schools, local governments, sports associations and national agencies can work together to develop athletes. The aim is not merely to find the next champion. It is to build a sustainable system capable of finding and developing champions year after year.
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.
In the best-ever finish by an Asian country in the international basketball arena, the Philippines captured the bronze medal in the 2nd FIBA World Championship held in Brazil in 1954. Led by our dynamic duo of Mumar and Caloy Loyzaga, the Philippines surprised the heftier American and European teams with a dazzling display of speed and skill in basketball.
From the country’s successful Olympic foray, to the victories against foreign teams in different ballgames, to individual achievements as well as local developments, the year has blessed us with numerous successes that has brought pride and honor to the land.
We are best suited for – and should therefore concentrate on – bantam sports that are fit for our physique. Let’s stop dreaming of making it big in basketball. We can never match up against the behemoths of other countries. Let’s focus instead on such sports as gymnastics, boxing, weightlifting, table tennis, etc. These are the sports that we can truly make a name for ourselves.
Caloy’s Paris Olympic adventure has ended. But it has paved the way to economic freedom, to open doors to new adventures and new opportunities, and finally, to personal fame and glory. His story will definitely not end with the Olympics. On the contrary, his recent success in the Olympics is just the start of more success stories ahead. Not just for him, but certainly for the hundreds and thousands of kids who will look up to him as an inspiration and model.
