BEIJING – Another Olympic Games, another shutout for the Philippines. On the day of the qualifying round for our last hope for a medal, taekwondo jin Tshomlee Go, I sat at the Bird’s Nest, China’s stunning national stadium, watching Asians compete in several events.
In the pouring rain, a Japanese gave the javelin his best throw. In the women’s high jump, only two Asians were competing with the best of them. One was from China, cheered on lustily by the hometown crowd. The other, noticeably shorter and smaller, was from Thailand. Watching the Thai compete with the best in the world, I wondered: Why couldn’t it be a Filipino?
Asians did well in the Games. China fell short of its target of 119 gold medals, but it still ran away with the largest gold haul, beating the No. 1 in the overall medal ranking, the United States. South Korea ranked eighth overall and Japan 11th, but those Asian countries have long been Olympic achievers.
What was depressing was the performance of the Philippines when compared with its Southeast Asian neighbors. As of Saturday night, Indonesia had won a gold, a silver and three bronze medals. Thailand had two golds and two silvers. Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam had a bronze each.
It gets more depressing when you consider the performance of the rest of the world. Even Togo bagged a bronze. Mongolia had a gold and silver. Iran had a gold and a bronze. Even Sudan had a silver. Ethiopia, long an achiever in the Olympics, had four golds, a bronze and a silver. North Korea bagged two golds, a silver and three bronze medals, although its athletes were probably under threat of execution if they lost.
These countries’ Olympic achievements indicate that the level of economic development, quality of nutrition or even armed conflict, though they affect a country’s chances in the Games, cannot be used as an excuse for bad athletic performance.
Afghanistan sent all of four athletes to the Games â€â€ËÅ“ two men and two women â€â€ËÅ“ and one of the men beat a world champion to bag a bronze in taekwondo. It was only the second time for Afghanistan to participate in the Olympics.
Why is winning so hard for us?
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One of our 15-member Olympic team managed to bring home a gold – in wushu, which is not even being considered for future inclusion in regular Olympic events.
If it is ever included and more countries compete in that sport, it’s a safe bet that our athletes can break the Philippine record – but end up near the last.
We’re great at breaking records where there is little or no competition, like those Indians vying for the Guinness world record for the longest hair or the longest fingernails. India, by the way, won a gold and two bronze medals.
Some people have remarked that our athletes lack that killer instinct â€â€ËÅ“ the refusal to settle for puede na, or anything less than the best. I hesitate to call it a culture of mediocrity, but if you keep finishing eighth among nine, what do you call it? It’s certainly not a culture of excellence.
We can argue that we have little appetite for competition. But if this is the case, our country should close shop. This planet is a highly competitive place, not just in athletics but in everything else. If we don’t compete and excel, we will soon be eating everyone’s dust.
Many countries recognize the symbolism in Olympic victory, seeing in it a rallying point for national pride.
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China has turned not only Olympic victory but also its successful hosting of the event as a rallying point for national pride.
Some westerners are scoffing at China’s obsession about hosting the perfect Games, but shouldn’t anyone strive to be the perfect host to the world?
The Games will leave lasting positive changes in this country, from the cosmetic – better garbage management, no spitting, more greenery and intricate landscaping – to social reforms that are inevitable when a closed society opens its arms to the world.
What could take a while is a new attitude toward the free flow of information. This may have to wait until all the old fogies in the communist politburo have retired and a tech-savvy younger generation has taken over.
At the Olympic press center, Beijing has blocked websites on Tibetan protests and the Tiananmen massacre. A web blog on press freedom in connection with the Olympics, set up by the Committee to Protect Journalists, also cannot be accessed in this city.
But the reports about the blocking of websites dealing with topics unflattering to the central government are widely reported anyway in popular sites such as Yahoo. So why jeopardize the image of openness with paranoid censorship?
In the age of cyberspace, any attempt to manage the flow of information can only backfire. The censorship taints the hosting of the Olympic Games, which has been such a success that the world is wondering how London, the host of the next Olympics, can top Beijing’s act.
Despite the censorship, the drive to be the world’s best in the Olympics – both as host and participant – is reflected in other aspects of Chinese life.
Beijing is developing at breakneck speed, and so is Tianjin, the site of qualifying soccer matches in the Olympics.
The comparison is not entirely accurate, but imagine a country the size of China developing like Singapore.
The energy in this country is palpable. And much of it can be attributed to a highly competitive spirit – a desire to be the world’s best.
Even the Afghans feel the energy and want to compete. Kazim Algulzari, a twentysomething newspaper executive based in Kabul, was proud of his country’s victory in just its second try, though he pointed out that it was “only” a bronze.
In 10 years, Kazim vowed to me, his country would be progressive. Left unsaid was the hope for a gold – every nation’s dream.
War-torn Afghanistan could be closer to that gold than the Philippines.