FOR the Philippines, every Olympic event has become a reminder of what the country has yet to achieve since it joined the Games in 1924—a gold medal.
Hoping to break the dry spell in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Sen. Grace Poe underscored the need to assess the current sports development programs to boost the country’s chances for the elusive gold.
Filing Senate Resolution No. 678, Poe asked the Senate committee on sports to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the efforts of the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the entire sports community to achieve the ultimate goal of winning the country’s first gold medal in the Olympics.
“We need to take a deeper look at how these agencies are implementing existing laws on sports development and see what it will take for the Philippines to bring home the gold this time,” said Poe, who was a black belter in taekwondo.
After participating in 20 editions of the Olympics, the Philippines can only boast of 10 medals—3 silvers and 7 bronzes—including the silver medal of Hidilyn Diaz in the women’s 53-kg weightlifting division of the 2016 Summer Games.
“It’s time to up the ante on sports development, including training for international competitions, with the ultimate goal of winning the Olympic gold, which remains one of the unrealized dreams of our sports sector,” Poe said.
She said the silver finish of Diaz shows “we are almost there” and that the gold is not an impossible dream.
“This is a goal that the government must foster and support to the best of its capacity. We are also rallying the private sector to chip in for the success of our Filipino athletes,” Poe added.
The senator said she hopes that the new leadership of the Philippine Sports Commission will lead the way in improving the lot of athletes to make them more competitive and world-class toward bringing honor and prestige to the country. Macon Ramos-Araneta
