Lessons from Thailand

Yes, we are all naturally upset from the home cooking in Thailand at the Southeast Asian Games. Who wouldn’t be? Our athletes poured in time, effort, pain, tears, and injury, only to be cheated at the actual competition. We did some things right. Thailand did a lot of things wrong. Apparently, they have mastered the formula for getting away with murder.

We are aflame with frustration, because we only won one gold medal in boxing, thanks to a Eumir Marcial knockout which set the stage. Yet, the other 16 finals featured the host country’s boxers. When you look back, this is not surprising. They did the same thing to us in 2007. In over a dozen gold medal matches in boxing and taekwondo, only Annie Albania survived by knocking out her opponent. They even subdivided other sports to give themselves more medals, as in dancesport. So why are we surprised?

We have seen all of this before. Eligibility is always being challenged. The bus problem in basketball already happened in the Asian Games in Japan long ago. Officiating in basketball cost us the gold in the SEA Games of 1989. Scheduling conflicts in athletics and women’s basketball have likewise deprived us of success. Memories of other niggling little things like food, water, distance of practice venues and so on live rent-free in our memories.

That is why our favorite memories from Thailand are of Alex Eala and Gilas Pilipinas. Eala, ranked way higher than all of her opponents combined, steamrolled through the competition. It was satisfying to see the greatest tennis player of this generation blast her way through the field. And of course, everything they tried to do and did to water down all our basketball teams got major payback. Even the players themselves showed their indomitable spirit, coming together, no matter what. Not enough credit has been given to men’s head coach Norman Black, who hates losing more than anything. He brought this team together. His brilliant in-game adjustments were the key to victory. I doubt that many other coaches could’ve done what he did.

Luckily, we won’t have long to gripe. After all, it’s Christmas. It’s a time for forgiveness and understanding, even if we don’t feel like it yet. In 10 days, it’ll be a new year, when we take a deep breath and plunge back into action. 2026 starts with the ASEAN Para Games, also in Bangkok, where hopefully our entries will be treated better. As always, there is much to look forward to.

It won’t be as bad in Malaysia in two years, but we should still be prepared for unfairness, particularly in officiating. But we have so much to look forward to. The next generation of great Filipino athletes is already here. Alex Eala and Naomi Cesar are prime examples. Several teenagers such as Sarah Heyn and Sophia Dignadice in basketball, Sep Placido in athletics, and Praj dela Cruz in extreme sports, have had their first taste of the biennial competition and want more. They’ve learned firsthand what it takes to win in a skewed tournament. Others, like the next generation of volleyball players, are ready to step into the big shoes of their elders. The future – if just a little more fair – is secure.

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Blessed Christmas, everyone.