After dismal showing of Pinoy Olympic athletes, time to ask 'why'
The London 2012 Olympics which closed August 12 with eye-popping fireworks was the most-watched sporting event in U.S. television history.
To be exact, 219 million people watched it, according to Nielsen’s national ratings, including millions of Filipinos at home and abroad.
In host United Kingdom, BBC counted 26.3 million Britons who watched the live coverage of the closing ceremony, or more than 80 percent of the country’s audience share.
Medal-wise, however, it was another disaster for the Philippine delegation, whose tiny 11 members were the smallest sent out by the country since 1936.
The lone best bet for a gold medal, boxer Mark Anthony Barriga, lost ignobly to his opponent from Kazakhstan in the light flyweight division.
His corner said the decision was unfair because Birzhan Zhakypov used Thai-style boxing.
It has been 16 years since Mansuelo “Onyok” Velasco won a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.
What — and who — is responsible for the dismal showing of Filipino athletes in the Olympics?
Social media Rappler buttonholed Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, Jr., who is the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, or POC, for the reasons why.
POC is a private, non-governmental agency recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole authority for representing the Philippines in the Olympic Games and other multi-event competitions.
Cojuangco, an uncle of President Noynoy Aquino, is planning to run for a third term as POC president.
He was asked why we did poorly in London.
“Even before leaving for London, I already said that it would be difficult to predict how they (athletes) would perform because I felt that they were not prepared enough and it was difficult to assess the opposition,” Cojuangco told Rappler.
Cojuangco said they started fairly well but did not have enough stamina to finish well.
Poor nutrition of athletes was blamed for this.
“Our athletes are fed with what they are given and not necessarily what they need,” he said.
Their allowance also goes to feed their families.
They do not take vitamins or supplements.
Cojuangco also blamed the previous POC for reducing the number of athletes supported by the Philippine Sports Commission from 1,000 to a measly 200.
Today, to qualify to enter the Olympics, you have to be ranked in the top 50 athletes in their sport, except for athletics, where two entries are allowed.
In his opinion, the biggest reason for the Philippines’ failure to win medals is the lack of a training center where the latest in sports science can be applied in their physical conditioning.
The center will be staffed by sport experts and coaches who will supervise their training and food intake.
What about the proposal of Sen. Francisco Pangilinan to investigate the POC and PSC to assess their effectiveness and efficiency?
“What is needed is the value that the government will give to sport,” Cojuangco said.
“Sport is not only winning of medals but also an integral part of growing our citizens properly.”
All the countries in the world have a training center.
“We not only have none but we also don’t have training facilities,” he said.
Simply said, without modern equipment and bigger budget, forget about winning medals
Source:-
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...ime-to-ask-why
Originally Posted by deeen
