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EDITORIAL: Why Athletics is Not Popular in the Philippines?

Airnel T. Abarra

Basketball, Boxing, Billiards, Volleyball, and Football. Expect those sports are the major content of sports pages among mainstream media outfits in the Philippines. As an Athletics enthusiast, I need to check different sources in order to view what is the latest news and information about Track and Field. Being one of the oldest sport in human history and the centerpiece event in the Olympic Games, we may wonder why is it that Athletics is not popular in the Philippines?

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Market-driven media hegemony

Media outfits in the likes of ABS-CBN, AKTV and GMA are only covering sports with enough mass appeal. Since they are private companies, they have one thing in their mind: Profit. They only air sports that get the most number of sponsors. Because of their influence among sporting fans, they confine the audience with limited choices and put other sports in the last line. Another theory is how Cultural hegemony of the United States affect our choice on what sport should we follow. Philippines become a basketball fanatic nation because the US introduced us to that sport. Since the mainstream sports are the ones always being covered, we can expect people will not be interested in watching or even trying sports like Athletics.

Of course media being also a source of entertainment will bank on sports with athletes with “pleasing personality”. Having a media set-up which is entwined to the entertainment industry, we see most of the athletes that mainstream follow suits to the standard of what is beautiful to a common Filipino: model material “artistahin” etc. Since in Athletics, there is not much “artistahin” we can expect private mainstream media not to bank after them unless they win a big competition overseas.

Compared with the set-up of media in other countries, state-run stations cover mostly big events with track and field as main preference. Japan has NHK, UK has BBC, and China has CCTV. If our government enable our state-run station, People’s Television Network to expand its capabilities and if possible beefed up with more funds, we may expect more coverage for track and field. Another example is how there is no live coverage for Palarong Pambansa even it is esteemed as the National games of the Philippines. Ironic isn’t it?

Another factor is that the current media set up lacks a true Athletics analyst. There are no Dyan Castillejo, Qunito Henson, Ronnie Nathanielsz, and TJ Manotoc who can explain and analyze the sport to common people. I remember during the Sydney 2000 coverage of PTV, Mr. Freddie Abando become the athletics reporter even he is a news reporter. The mainstream media sports setup doesn’t breed new sportscasters who can be expert in Athletics.

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No new sporting heroes

Although our current national athletes are winning in some events overseas, they still can’t equate the likes of Lydia De Vega, Elma Muros, Isidro del Prado etc. Because there are no athletes breaking through major athletics tournaments for the past 6-7 years, we can expect that people will not look much for them. Still our national athletes are doing their best, still we need a new talent to emerge and serve as the face of the sport to gain public attention.

Conservatism in the Athletics National Sport Association (NSA)

Compared with other Athletics Associations of most high performing countries, most of them had a true and working website where all news, events and records are disclosed to the public. With the popularity of social networking sites, we may think that Athletics in the Philippines may get popular and more transparent. Yet due to the inaccessibility of records in real time and the lack of a centralized resource hub for Athletics records and news, questions about the validity of records hound the NSA for PHI Athletics. If only the NSA will maximize the use of social media and have a true media bureau desk among their ranks, chances of informing people about athletics will be much better. Make the most out of everything.

Education of athletes and coaches should be done as well. It should not be only about doing academics but doing research to innovative ways in training and performance. UP CHK for example is doing different studies in relation with athletic training and yet only few collaborate with the college to consult their training methods if it is in synch with existing studies in Athletics. As we always said, those you learn during your athletic years are not the same on what should be done now. In common sense, experience is not always the gold standard; education, competence and track record should be.

To top all of this, the NSA should do something and convene all stakeholders in Philippine Athletics. There is should be no room for factionalism or secrecy among its ranks. Open records to anyone who want to check it out. It creates a room of trust and confidence especially among sponsors who want to help Philippine athletics. All sides must be heard and collective statement and actions must be raised. Unity among diversity is the key to success.

There are a lot of things to make Athletics a sport of choice among the Filipinos. We must think for the betterment of the nation because its citizens pay taxes to develop our sport. Innovation, transparency and continuous strive for excellence should be always the core values of any discipline. Trust builds confidence, confidence creates relationships, and relationships create new things. Should we begin now?

Editor’s note: We are open for any comments and reactions to this article. Let’s have a discussion. Email us at pinoyathletics@gmail.com

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What Philippine Athletics should do?

What Philippine Athletics should do?

By: PinoyAthletics Editorial Team*

From our first editorial “Why Athletics is not popular in the Philippines”, it stirred discussions among the members of the PinoyAthletics community. One may ask, now that you pinpointed the problems, so what is your alternative? This follow-up article will try to roll out our alternative game plan for Philippine Athletics.

Start with clean slate Since 1990, only one leadership resides in the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA). To be fair with them, we will not cite names of the leaders but instead let us focus on what matters most: Start with a fresh mandate. The debacle of PHI athletics for the past years can be attributed to a laid back leadership. Of course mainstream media witnessed how the PATAFA leadership was the talk of the town. To give way to a true leadership change, PSC and POC must open to public the holding of a true, independent and clean election in PATAFA. With the aid of technology and social media, it should be in live streaming video as like how the International Olympic Committee holds host city elections. Through collective and strong leadership, it will create an atmosphere of openness and innovation among stakeholders in Philippine Athletics.

Genuine, mass-based and scientific Athletics programme Genuine in the sense that it should serve the interests of the Filipino people who are the primary investor in Philippine Athletics funds through their taxes. Transparency from the highest honchos down to the athletes itself must be properly implemented. Regular submission of financial statements and of course event results posted on a working and user-friendly website should start this up. Conservatives may say that budget is always the problem. Of course it is given that PSC is lacking funds but in order to haul sponsors, the agency itself must package itself as a trustworthy organization that is fitted for a sponsorship deal. Moreover, records should be open for public scrutiny and regular caucus and should be set.

Mass-based activities through a total reform in local PATAFA chapters to all provinces and cities in the Philippines. From there, local government units will realize that PATAFA is connecting to their people being the National Sport Association for Athletics. Through continuous education of athletes, coaches and trainers to the latest and scientific training programmes based on sound research by educational institutions like the College of Human Kinetics of the University of the Philippines Those people who will be given those opportunities continuing education will be chosen based on their honest intentions and capabilities and not just for self-promotion or prestige. From the regional down to the city or municipal levels, Athletics club should be institutionalized, PATAFA chapters should steering the track and field activities and contests there as the true national governing body.

That’s why the concept of a club system to local Athletics club must be implemented. All those clubs will compete to a National Open or its equivalent where the pool for National team will be selected. With the numerous Athletics competitions like Palarong Pambansa, UAAP, NCAA, and UniGames, the Philippine Athletics calendar should be in harmony and not in conflict to each other with the different events in the country. Through setting up of local competitions regularly with PATAFA as prime organizer, new talents in the community will be motivated to stay in the sport since competitions and other events are there to join in and not just waiting for one Palarong Pambansa every year for their exposure.

In the presence of numerous road-running activities PATAFA should be the sanctioning body for these events like what the Games and Amusements Board doing in professional sports. PATAFA should not be a sleeping giant waiting for talents just to knock to their doors but really integrate themselves to the masses. That is where talents and future champions are discovered. Ivory tower concept in sports should be destroyed.

Scientific- What training program we did in the 80’s will not suffice to this era. So the continuous implementation of scientific training program should be a cornerstone of athlete development. PATAFA should not just only send athletes for training overseas but inviting and immerse with coaches and trainers from different countries like Germany, Russia etc. We are sure by contacting and creating agreements to Athletic powerhouse countries, it will result to innovations. As we noted earlier, UP College of Human Kinetics pool of young sports scientists and human movement science experts can provide PATAFA the latest information. Also other research agencies like the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development- Department of Science and Technology can be tapped through their researchers what may find ways in managing the well-being of the athletes.

Inclusive and collective leadership- successful organizations have a main component: unity and cooperation among its ranks. People working the organization should be competent and has all the values of a servant. By removing the political influence and self-interests by constant disposition checks and balances as well as self-criticism, Philippine Athletics patrons will not divert to different leadership perspectives but only following one line: serving the people.

All the things we say here will not miraculously heal Philippine Athletics. Our stand is that change must start as soon as possible inside and outside the system; find ways for total reform if not revolution in the organization and all the people involved. Make Athletics has its place in the sun and map of Philippine Sports scene; inspire athletes and the masses that we should be serving in the first place.

Comments, reactions, and invitations for a thorough discussion are most welcome.

*Andrew Pirie and Airnel T. Abarra

How do you solve a problem like Philippine Sports

Thread started by Coolenz from Pinoyexchange.com

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The Original thread is available here http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=585350

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Like many Pexers and sport-loving Filipinos across the archipelago and throughout the world, I am sick and tired of the present situation of Philippine sports particularly the country’s declining performance in major international events like the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games and Olympics.

In the recent London Olympics, our athletes were nowhere near world-class standards. The only one who advanced to the next round of his event was boxer Mark Barriga, who only made it to the Round of 16. Of course, I was no longer surprised with their performance as they went up against athletes who are well-trained, well-fed, well-equipped and were given all the support they need.

We can’t blame the athletes for their lackluster performance. How can we expect Marestella Torres to make a personal best jump if she can’t even train at the Rizal Memorial oval and had to travel outside Metro Manila just to practice? How can we expect Hidlyn Diaz to make a solid lift when she trains on rusted barbels and had to use another facility that is fully equipped? How can we expect archers Mark Javier and Rachel Cabral to be on target when they are using broken arrows aimed at a makeshift target?

They can defy the odds in the Southeast Asian Games and perhaps the Asian Games but definitely not the Olympics.

Having a meager budget for Philippine sports is definitely a big factor but it is not an excuse for not winning medals. There should be a collaboration from the private sectors and a sound long-term sports program should be in place.

If you ask me, the London Olympics debacle should be the last straw. But we all know that more failures lie ahead unless a drastic change is implemented as soon as possible.

Saying that the Filipinos will not succeed in the Olympics is ridiculous. No doubt the talent is there. Otherwise the country would not have produced world champions in non-Olympic sports like professional boxing, practical shooting, wushu, bowling, billiards and dragon-boat racing. The biggest challenge is nurturing that talent and transforming that athlete into a legitimate medal contender in the Olympics.

To do that, a change in the present system is badly needed.

The consensus among sports columnists and sports-loving individuals is the need for a major facelift in the country’s sports agencies and overhaul the entire system. There are parties pushing for the abolition of the Philippine Sports Commission and replacing it with a new governing body. There are also those calling for the ouster of POC president Peping Cojuangco, who has held this position since 2004.

Despite the declining performance of Philippine sports under his term, Cojuangco is reportedly still keen on running for a third term as POC president. And the alarming note here is that there are no challengers for the said post. Names like Ricky Vargas, Popoy Juico and Manny Lopez have been floated but these are all unconfirmed. Cojuangco won a second term in 2008 when he defeated then Philippine shooting president Art Macapagal in a closely-contested election.

In the eyes of sportswriters and fans, Peping has clearly outlived his welcome. It’s time for him to go and hand over his position to another individual. Hopefully, his successor is a visionary and somebody who is not connected with the officials we have at present. As who that person is? Well, your guess is as good as mine.

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Pinoyathletics response by Pirie Enzo

Is this the first, second, or maybe third chance for Peping? I have already lost count.

I agree with ‘Vincex’ and ‘Peter Utol’. What the Philippines needs to do is bring in a new generation of sports leaders to modernize the sport. Much the same as what Michael Keon and Anthony Benson did with the Gintong Alay Project back in the early 1980s.

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Regardless of his affiliations, Trillanes is right. However creating a Department of Sports won’t answer anything if the people running it don’t know anything about sports development either.

It’s like the Department of Health talking about health, or the people going to gyms exercising and achieving nothing.

It takes technique and skill. Something we have to learn from foreign entities. Just as Paquiao did.

-Vincex wrote

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I think sports such as weightlifting, boxing (if they can convince someone to stay in amateurs long enough to not turn pro) and Bowling (if it becomes an olympic sport) are the three bets. The Philippines sports leaders are kidding themselves if they think Basketball or Track and Field or Swimming is where we are going to win olympic gold medals. ‘THE PHILIPPINES WILL NEVER WIN AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN BASKETBALL, TRACK AND FIELD OR SWIMMING’.

However the Philippines could be quite dominating at SEA Games level in the above mentioned sports if the right programs are put in place. This is where i agree with vincex, Keon and Australian coach Anthony Benson knew what they were doing and the Philippines reaped the benefits at sea games and even Asian level.

Where are the Keon’s and Benson’s of this world now????

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If you will just rely on the Pinoy race to naturally evolve into a world-class type of athletes, it will take a millennium. I suggest two things: Introduce Anglo or African genes into the mainstream gene pool and then accelerate the development with steroids and we will probably see some serious competitors in 2024 at the earliest.

-Peter Utol wrote

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Also in regards to Peter Utol. No need to resort to PEDs, but in regards to what you say the Philippines seems very reluctant to recruit a lot of Fil-Heritage athletes. Certainly in events such as sprinting which are dominated by West Africans these sort of genes would be favorable for the sport read this article below.

http://pinoyathletics.com/2012/07/30…print-program/

A swell as that a lot of Asian nations are already recruiting and naturalizing Kenyan, Ethiopian, Moroccan distance runners and Nigerian sprinters into there ranks to boost their domestic pool. Its not just about importing and recruiting athletes however its about also making sure we have good programs in place, well organized meets to boost are depth.

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Focusing on Event legacies rather than individuals to build Depth of talent

The issue with a sports institute like system where you invest all the money into one or two good athletes in an event, and forget about developing the competition and further depth in the event. Take for example we have eight runners in a national final. And we choose only to focus on the first and the second. What happens is the other runners tend to drop out of the sport, as the money goes into developing these two athletes individually rather than investing it into holding quality competitions which is better self sustaining.

The snag with this is what happens if these runners we have singled out get injured or decide to leave the sport for personal reasons, e.g. work, family issues, or illness?? then we are back to square one where we have to start from scratch again. Rather than investing in events instead of individuals, if we do that like a lot of western nations then we would have self sustaining events which means the event would be strong enough that it would have less need for investment. So if one or two of the runners in the example leave for reasons outlined above at least we have invested into the event not the individuals and there is another six runners to carry on the continuity of the events legacy.

http://pinoyathletics.com/2012/08/16…ack-and-field/

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