In the end, it wasn’t even close. With 113 gold medals, 84 silvers and 94 bronzes, or an overall total of 291 medals, we were comfortably ahead of second-place Thailand which finished with 87 golds, 78 silvers and 118 bronzes, a total of 287 medals.
In retrospect, there are really a lot of advantages to being the host country, and it isn’t only the hometown crowd. To begin with, we had entries in most, if not all, the events, the obvious benefit of not having to transport hundreds of athletes and their equipment, plus scores of junketing "officials" and hangers-on, to a foreign venue.
I understand we also had the prerogative of choosing certain events, such as dance sport. These days, however, that’s not really too much of an advantage since even in indigenous sports, such as arnis and sepak-takraw, Asian athletes have become as proficient in the sport as those from the originating countries. That was evident from the quality of the competition.
Still, we gave an excellent accounting in most sports across the board, even as we suffered unexpected set-backs in events where we expected to harvest gold medals, such as chess, shooting and individual equestrian.
Now it’s time for the post-mortem and, inevitably, the Monday-morning quarter- backing. Firstly, we must admit we didn’t do that great a job in preparing the venues for the games, in contrast to other countries which have spent tons of cash in sprucing up their venues when they were hosts, to the extent of building entirely new facilities.
As in the Olympics, the usual justification for these extraordinary expenditures is not only the rave international reviews and long-term economic dividends a host country gets from games efficiently-run and athletes well taken care of, but also the immediate boost that the country’s sports program gets from brand-new world-class facilities.
While it was indubitably a great idea to add venues in Cebu, Bacolod and Subic, as well as locations not intended for athletic competitions, such as La Mesa Dam, we still had to make do with other ancient facilities which were strained to the breaking point hosting some events. The amenities simply weren’t there, including adequate and minimally clean dressing rooms and toilets.
In some venues, whose sponsors we won’t embarrass because we know they tried their best to put their best foot forward, the physical condition of the site and athletes’ locker rooms was simply not up to standard. Some foreign athletes and officials were grumbling that the inferior facilities adversely affected their team’s performance.
When our officials make an accounting of how well these games were run, I hope they realize that, while they get A’s or B’s in certain aspects such as training and officiating, they get F’s in others, led by venue preparation. Sure, we all know it was lack of time and, as usual, a meager budget. But since many government officials were among the most visible basking in the reflected glory of our heroic athletes, someone should tell them that success in the SEA games was achieved despite their apathy and dilatoriness, not because of their brilliant planning or generous support.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Sinawatra was clearly out of line when he slammed the fairness of officiating in some events. It turned out he may have been trying to divert attention from his domestic political crisis. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in an annual birthday speech, counseled the often abrasive P.M. to be more open to criticism.
But in at least one aspect, Philippine sports officials have some explaining to do. Ethnic "Filipinos" who have lived abroad most of their lives, many of whom can’t even speak elementary Tagalog, materialized and significantly shored up our team’s chances. We had strong contenders in men’s tennis, wushu, ladies’ beach volleyball, and our fledgling football team gained new strength, mainly due to "imports."
I understand all of the Fil-Ams, Fil-Brits or Fil-Chinese, or whoever else was recruited, had Philippine passports. I’m also certain that our Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee made sure all athletes in the Philippine team met technical eligibility rules. I’d be shocked if they didn’t.
It appears someone has discovered a major untapped resource for future national teams. It’s not our fault if the Philippine diaspora has yielded an unintended benefit, a bumper crop of foreign-trained, world-class athletes that are determined to wear their native country’s colors in international competitions.
The dual citizenship law, from that point of view, is a godsend, if what I’ve heard about the alacrity with which our foreign embassies and consulates issued new passports virtually overnight is true. To squelch unsavory rumors that have been going around, I would suggest that Messrs. Peping Cojuangco and Robert Aventejado enlighten us a little more on how exactly they achieved this magnificent feat. It still jars a little, for instance, to learn that some of our compatriots are surnamed "Younghusband."
Still and all, the success of our athletes is justifiably touted as evidence of how hard work and preparation can enable us to emerge victorious in any international competition, be it on the athletic field or in the commercial arena. We have proved we can do it. Indeed, we have learned we must do it chiefly by our own ingenuity and native resources, not by reliance on the unpredictable largesse of government.
Athletes unused to politics Philippine-style are shocked when they see politicians coming out of the woodwork to share the spotlight. They’re getting a good education in the truism that success has many fathers while failure is an orphan. If the SEA games had been a fiasco, the trapos would be calling for inquiries in aid of legislation faster than the time it takes for a hundred-yard dash.
Our new heroes can get some comfort from the knowledge that our people can distinguish those who really helped from the mere credit-grabbers.
I toast our victorious athletes and thank them for the needed lift they gave our national pride, which has lately been taking a beating. They gave us all reason to smile, if only for one brief, shining moment, before we must once again return…to Garci!