The gold rush in Philippine sports
The first ever major international win for the Filipinas. (Image: PFF)
After defeating Vietnam in the semifinals, the Philippine women’s national football team (WNT) aimed to push their limits even more by securing the gold—and they did. The team won its maiden championship title under the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF)’s banner after scoring 3-0 against four-time competition champion Thailand.
Head coach Alen Stajcic’s technique of resting and rotating players while maintaining their performance was put to its final test. After the last few months of time-constrained training and games, they prevailed yet again.
The second half of the match was notably marked with aggression from the Thai team. Ploychompoo Somnuek and Kanyanat Chetthabutr both received yellow cards for fouls, much to the frustration of their camp. The match became so heated to the point that Somnuek pushed Eva Madarang and Chetthabutr was cautioned for a confrontation with Hali Long.
Nevertheless, the WNT went home with the gold after striker Sarina Bolden scored the third and final goal of the match.
The fight continues
Hours after the win, #LabanFilipinas and #AbanteBabae trended online, with many Filipinos lauding the team for their historic feat in Philippine sports.
Public figures including volleyball player Alyssa Valdez, former Vice President Leni Robredo, and singer-songwriter Rico Blanco congratulated the WNT on Twitter. The team themselves enjoyed a well-deserved victory party the night after.
But despite all the sudden clout, some social media users were looking at their win in the bigger context of the country’s sports culture.
One Twitter user compared the lack of live TV coverage of the WNT’s games to Olympic weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz’s treatment. Actor and politician Edu Manzano stated it was time to consider investing more in sports such as “karate, skateboarding, golf, weightlifting, and most recently football,” instead of simply just international basketball.
Ironically, the Philippine National Basketball team lost to the New Zealand Tall Blacks at the FIBA Asia qualifiers on the same day.
Before they switch teams
The feat of the Philippine national women’s football team is not the only recent Filipino win in the international sports scene, but as more and more athletes with bright futures emerge, so do issues of mismanagement and the undervaluing of sports in the country.
Last year alone, pole vaulter EJ Obiena was accused of embezzling funds and falsifying public documents in liquidating advances from the Philippine Sports Commission. After an investigation, these accusations were later on withdrawn but has since caused issues that hampered Obiena's ability to compete internationally. Figure skater Michael Christian Martinez also resorted to starting his own gofundme campaign to fund training expenses for the 2022 Winter Olympics, stating that he had no financial support.
On top of that, lawmakers are still working on measures to improve the state of sports. These include a law to ensure that national athletes who compete and win international competitions are exempted from taxes, fees, and charges that deduct their rewards and equal athletic opportunities for women athletes.
Controversies between sports governing bodies and national athletes are nothing new, unfortunately. And some of the country's brightest sporting talents are seeking and getting offers from other countries to take their talents to their shores. In a country where athletes don’t receive the support they need from the government, it’s no wonder that brain drain—or muscle drain, if you will—still exists in Philippine sports. If we want to save our talents, our officials need to pay them what they’re worth. And you know, maybe accept the fact that we just aren't built to compete in the sport of basketball.
