Future of Philippine sports

(Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series on basic directions Philippine sports could explore following the country’s debacle in the Sydney Olympic Games).

Where does Philippines sports go from here? In the wake of the 20 Filipino athletes’ medal shutout at the Sydney Olympics, the clamor is for a vision to light the road to the future.

The first step is to identify niche sports. Obviously, the shotgun approach won’t do. Developing countries such as the Philippines can’t afford to fritter away limited resources. Before tapping prospects, there must be a focus on what sports to concentrate on.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Celso Dayrit said archery, marathon, women’s weightlifting, and air rifle are events where Filipinos could excel on a global basis.

In Sydney, South Korean archers won gold medals in the team events of both men and women. Additionally, South Korea swept the gold, silver and bronze medals in the individual women’s competitions. The fact that an Asian country took three of the four gold medals in archery is an encouraging indicator.

But the country’s Olympic qualifier Jennifer Chan, ranked No. 65 in the world, finished 52nd of 64 entries and was nowhere near the top in Sydney. Chan started competitive shooting at 25 and now, she’s 35. If the Philippines hopes to make a dent in world archery, the pool must open up to younger athletes.

Japanese wisp-of-a-girl Naoko Takahashi captured the gold in women’s marathon in Sydney and again, inspired Dayrit to consider the sport for Filipinos. You don’t need a big body to win in marathon. You need strength, determination, discipline, and a good set of lungs.

Women’s weightlifting made a smashing debut in Sydney and Asians won 12 out of 15 medals at stake. Asian males took 18 of 39 medals in weightlifting. Surely, there’s a chance for Filipinos in this event because of the different weight classes. Indonesian women picked up a silver and bronze in weightlifting. Taiwan’s sole silver medal came from women’s weightlifting which also delivered bronzes for Taiwan, Thailand, and India. Chinese women bagged three golds out of seven in lifting. If the Indonesians and Thais can do it, so can the Filipinos.

In air rifle, Asians dominated both male and female divisions. Chinese Cai Yalin took the gold in the men’s 10-meter air rifle while South Korean Kang Cho Hyun pocketed the silver and China’s Gao Jing, the bronze in the women’s competition. The Philippines was represented by Jasmin Luis who finished 44th of 49 in the event. Luis didn’t qualify for Sydney – she was a wild card entry.