Disappointing

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

After 14 days of competition, the recently concluded 17th Asian Games in Incheon saw the Philippines disappoint once again. Our athletes brought home only one gold, three silver and eleven bronze medals, putting our country 22nd among 45 nations and 7th among the eight Southeast Asian countries that participated in the quadrennial games.

This is one of our worst performances in the Asian Games and it comes after President Aquino directed the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission to focus on a handful of sports where Filipinos were supposed to have a competitive edge.

Boxing, taekwondo, athletics, swimming, wushu, archery, wrestling, bowling, weightlifting and billiards were given better funding and support compared to other sports but no Filipino won the gold in any of these sports in Incheon. It was unheralded Fil-American BMX rider Daniel Caluag who prevented a gold medal shutout for the Philippines.

Malacañang has expressed dismay over the performance and has called on the POC and the PSC to do a better job in ensuring Filipino athletes will find better ways to win medals in the international arena but based on the consistently dismal results it may be time for the Philippine government to give its sports and Olympic programs a long hard look and decide if it is time to replace the chronic non-performers whose lack of leadership and foresight is wasting the talents and determination of our athletes or to replace the government agencies concerned with ones that are better structured, more relevant, and ultimately more able to make Filipinos proud of our athletes once more.*