Random musings on the 2010 Asian Games

Thanks to the Philippine Team's performance in the recently concluded 16^th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, we now have sixteen reasons (the number of athletes who won a total of three gold, four silver, and nine bronze medals) to smile and 169 reasons (the other athletes) to rethink a lot of things.

This time we earned one gold and two silvers less from the number we won in the Doha Asiad in 2006, namely four golds, six silvers, and nine bronzes, for a total of 19. We also ranked one rung lower, in Asia from 18th to 19thand among Southeast Asian nations from 4th to 5th.

Yay.

Four short months

It was only last July when Richie Garcia was appointed chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). It was then that he began looking over and attempting to fix the last administration's mistakes.

The best about those past four months was that Philippine sports benefited from the smooth working relationship between the PSC and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) headed by its president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, Jr. However, four short months evidently did not suffice for Filipino athletes to cram and complete any programs that would have enhanced the Philippine Team's performance in last November's Asiad.

More or less?

The POC and the PSC were in a bind. They had to appear optimistic on the country's performance in international contests, but understandably had to project a modest gold medal harvest for this year's Asiad, as they were still reeling from the shockwaves brought about by the actions of a so-called Big Fish, and were under time pressure.

A modest output was projected, but in order to avoid disappointing the Filipino sports community and general public, the prediction could not be less than that of the previous Asiad in Doha. If the country's two sports organizations projected less, they would have been subject to public ridicule.

So four became the magic number; the same as the number of golds won in 2006.

We ended up with “only” three this time. But with all the travails the Pinoy sports community had to go through and in lieu of divine intervention, winning three gold medals was already a remarkable feat.

Those tired cliches and lessons one and two

“It was an eye-opener!”

“The Philippines' medal tally in this year's games was a wake up call."

So on and so forth went officials and fans about the national team's performance in the recent games.

Quit the cliches. At best the Asiad served as just another grim reminder that we should heed the following lessons, which we've known all along:

Lesson No. 1: Our elite athletes, especially in sports where we are playing catch-up to world class teams, would benefit from long-term training programs in foreign countries which are renowned powerhouses in the sports concerned.
Lesson No. 2: Expand the grassroots until it reaches a critical and sustainable mass base or pool from which we can continuously recruit and train potential athletes.

Great ideas, yes? Now where's the money to implement these measures?

The chicken or the egg

For the less successful national sports associations (NSAs), Asiad wise, it is another case of "Which comes first, the gold bullion or the gold medal?"

Sponsor: “Show me the results and I'll show you the money.”

NSA: “Show us the money, we'll spend it for our athletes' training program, nutritional needs, etc., and then we'll show you the results.”

Sponsor: “Well, you've just failed and it makes me reluctant to shell out money for your program.”

NSA: “But we will fail again big time next time if you don't show us the money.”

Ad nauseam.

Sponsor: “By the way, do you really spend sponsorship money for your athletes? Do you account for it honestly and transparently?”

NSA: “I think that's getting ahead of the story. Just the same, we can assure you that we will be as honest and transparent as you are in your own business dealings (whatever that means).”

And so it goes.

Tough as tough can be

Friendly reminder: In many sports events, the competitive level of the Asian Games rivals that of the Olympic Games.

Want to know the competition background of the recent Asian Games medalists in its Olympic sports events?

Surf the web and look 'em up.

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Philippines at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games (euphonikid)

Break 'em, shake 'em

The breaks of the game broke us...and one of us literally broke his neck. If it's tough to be a part of the Philippine wrestling team, it's just as tough being team manager.

The trials begin before the competition proper. The Philippine wrestling team has long been crippled, so it was very tough going into this year's Asiad.

First off: Jason Balabal. A SEA Games gold medalist in freestyle, 84 kilogram category, he entered the Philippine Navy as a candidate soldier last June.

A candidate soldier of the Philippine Navy is required to train a minimum of six months straight inside barracks to become a full fledged soldier – no exceptions. As a consequence, he was no longer able to train and much less join the Asiad last November.

We can't blame the young man: a soldier–athlete enjoys more job security and benefits than a “stand–alone” athlete. We are confident that he'll be back on the mat next year when he is already a regular soldier and can train with the Philippine team as duly requested by the PSC.

Second: Margarito Angana, Jr., our other SEA Games gold medalist in Greco-Roman 55 kilograms. He suffered a spinal injury, a herniated disc in the neck last October 8, during his training in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Margarito--who didn't let a single opponent score even a single point against him during last year's SEA Games--was our top bet for winning a medal in the Asiad.

Finally: Jimmy Angana, our official entry in freestyle 66 kilograms. He was the only one we had left to pin our hopes on. He is Margarito's eldest brother.

The veteran and battle-worn Jimmy, along with two other freestyle wrestlers, fought valiantly but did not go home with a medal. Due to the unfortunate circumstances, the Philippine wrestling team that saw action in the regional 2009 SEA Games was stronger than the one that competed in the continental 2010 Asian Games.

Nevertheless, our deepest gratitude goes to our sponsor in the POC who made Margarito and Jimmy's three-month training in Bulgaria possible and to SMART Sports for their extra allowances and other valuable items. Yes, I am plugging. They need to be thanked. (And I am allowing it. - Ed.)

I believe that we will rebound next year and get in an athlete or two in the qualifying events for the 2012 London Olympics.

To hell with the closing ceremonies

My team mates - coaches Jerry Faingason and Rodrigo Falsario, and athlete brothers Jimmy, Jerry, and Margarito Angana and Maribel Jambora (who also happens to be Jerry's fiance and a prospective Angana herself if plans don't go awry)--all swore on the splendor of the closing ceremonies held on the evening of November 27 at the Haixinsha Citizen Square.

The fireworks were impressive, Maribel gushed, and Korean pop superstar and Hollywood actor Rain sang during the closing rites.

I missed all of it, along with the opening ceremonies as our team arrived on the second week of the games.

I was too tired and depressed to join and revel in the farewell festivities.

Tired of traveling by train and walking through the sprawling commercial district of Guangzhou just to purchase a pair of USD50 (P2,206) wrestling shoes, fed up with the last minute shopping at the International Zone inside the Athletes' Village.

Depressed that the whole Philippine Team contingent fell a gold medal short of its four gold medal target, crushed that our wrestling team did not contribute for the 56th year straight (The Philippines' last wrestling medal in the Asiad was a silver, won way back in 1954 when Manila hosted the quadrennial games.).

I slept all alone through the closing ceremonies inside my room in our 12-storey residential apartment in the middle of the Athletes' Village. Why see and hear Rain? I felt like it was already raining in my bedroom.

Smile, Chris Tiu, tomorrow's another day.

'Twas the night of November 26th when I walked past Philippine basketball team captain Chris Tiu, sitting all alone on the foot-high round concrete fence enclosing a raised bed garden just outside the souvenir shop of the International Center.

His facial expression said it all.

A few minutes later I met him again by chance at the laundry, where he spoke with the attendants in Chinese. We asked about each other's team's performance, in Filipino. After a few minutes, we bid each other better luck next time. We had nothing else to say.

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Philippines vs Qatar (16th Asian Games - Basketball) 1/3 (dakerdz)

An artistic consolation.

As free souvenirs, all delegates could take home the "Picture Greetings," as our hosts entitled them, which were children's framed paintings adorning our bedroom walls in the residential apartments. Each painting came with a greeting card for each delegate.

In exchange, we wrote on the detachable page of each greeting card our feelings on the painting we would be taking home. We left our written messages with the receptionist of our respective apartment building upon departure.

Mine was brief, "It's beautiful."

It was addressed to 10-year-old Chen Shi Yin, the creator of my abstract work of art (it looks abstract to me).

Someday, Chen Shi Yin could become an internationally renowned artist whose works pitch for hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece. Then I'll visit Sotheby's and end up with enough cash to spend for our athletes' training program, nutritional needs, etc.

And then we'll show you the results.

Another option is to sell this artwork in the future to any of our 16th Asian Games gold medalists: boxer Rey Saludar, billiards player Dennis Orcullo, or bowler Biboy Rivera. This is assuming they maintain their wealth and could afford disposable income years from now to buy Master Chen's little obra maestra.

But do or will they patronize art?

That's another story.

Karlo Silverio L. Sevilla III was the team manager of the Philippine wrestling team for the 2010 Asian Games. He is currently the secretary general of the Wrestling Association of the Philippines and served as a former assistant coach for the Philippine wrestling team. He occasionally writes for the Philippine Online Chronicles and WikiPilipinas.