50 GOLDS: A RAY OF HOPE FOR PHILIPPINE SPORTS

The historic wins of our Filipino athletes at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand provided hope and joy to a nation rocked by corruption scandals.

- MYLENE MENDOZA-DAYRIT

During the opening ceremony, the Philippine contingent of 1,600 athletes proudly paraded in high spirits in their Avel Bacudio-designed Laro ng Lahi white modern barong. Images: PCS Instragram Tennis star Alex Eala with her parents Mike Eala and Rizza Maniego and PSC chairman Pato Gregorio (right)

(PCS Instragram)

Our athletes went to the Games with the mindset to win, not merely to participate. I have seen how this collective confidence has resulted in sports supremacy and how it has trickled down to our grassroots. With these recent wins, I pray it intensifies.

Fifty gold medals in various sports —more than just a number (Singapore surpassed us by only two golds) — this is a collective win for a nation often told it is too small or underfunded to excel in sports. It is a declaration of budding athletic supremacy that goes beyond basketball. This will likely spark LGUs and private companies to invest in grassroots training in sports beyond basketball, boxing, volleyball, and billiards.

On social media, debates persist over whether athletes are foreign-trained or half-Filipino. We should face reality, though: they are Filipinos by blood, and their skills training abroad does not make them any less Filipino.

The Philippine team in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games brought home 50 golds, 73 silvers, and 154 bronzes. That's a haul of 277 medals in 50 sports. Shown are gymnasts Aleah Finnegan, Justin Ace De Leon, and Haylee Garcia.