Show us the 34 other golds

I am doing this piece in between breaks as I’m one of the delegates to the 1st National Festival Congress, so my material will be a bit brief this time.

Before our athletes left for Indonesia for the 26th SEA Games, the chiefs of the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission talked in their sleep and unconsciously mumbled that our delegation to the games will bring home a total of 70 golds. Another official of the delegation went further with the folly and insanely declared that we will have a runner-up finish.

The above-stated declarations, if everything were in its proper perspective, are very doable. But considering the lunatic power playing among the major sports governing bodies and the constant intramurals between the national sporting associations, let us be content to lord it over the other half of the ASEAN-member nations in this region’s biennial sporting event.

I can take it if we play second or third to Indonesia and Thailand as athletes from these countries had been traditionally dominating the region. How about Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore? We used to eat their athletes for breakfast but now, these three countries pick their teeth with ours.

The Philippines has a population of almost 100 million compared to Singapore’s which could total just about similar to the entire province of Cebu. Yet they outperformed us. Even a gold-medal winning athlete described our SEA Games excursion as absurd. We have millions of athletes more as substitutes and we are not wanting in talents and yet this? And damn, we can even dominate Indonesia and Thailand if we really want to.

Now here comes a former military officer, who by some cruel twist of fate, is now a senator of this republic, asking for a senate inquiry on our dismal performance. Big crapping deal. Before he tries to waste some more of the taxpayers’ money for these self-serving hearings, it would be wise for him to refresh the populace the treasonous actions he did several years ago. A rebel-without-a-clue asking for reforms?   So freakin’ right.

Its high time to put people who really feel for the athletes – people who had been there, done that, had endured the hardships and the agony of training, experienced the actual mismanagement of everything. Only they can relate and only they can introduce reforms.   On second thought, power-hungry, limelight hugging and commission-oriented individuals will always be around and bedevil the few good remaining souls.

The PSC and the POC had by now awaken from their slumber party and could have realized their ridiculously nightmarish pronouncements and had already pointed their stinky fingers to anybody and anyone they think who should be blamed except themselves. I hope they did not target the athletes as most definitely, these warriors who fought proudly with our flags on their chests are not at fault.

So gentlemen, what happened to the 34 golds? 

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NBA fans, there could be a settlement. Several closed-door meetings were held, this time without Derek Fisher and a 66-game season could start on December 25. There was a reported agreement in principle on the “50-50 split on basketball related revenues, shorter contracts and tougher spending restrictions” among representatives of both parties. Maybe this time, talks will fall on ears who can hear.

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