The Philippine Dragon Boat Team has bagged 5 Gold Medals in the 10th International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships in Tampa Bay, Florida. They have earned the respect of foreigners for the technique and sportsmanship they have shown. But they have yet to earn the respect of the Philippine Sports Commission. Because of one error in recording data, they have been banned from recognition and are forced to rely on private sponsorship and personal money for support. Even when they were clearly winning, the PSC refused to acknowledge the team. For a team who brings pride to the Filipino people, this is certainly a harsh reality to deal with.
As one of the team’s relatives said during an interview, “pag naglalaro sila, hindi naman pangalan nila ang sinisigaw kundi Pilipinas“. Because of their skill, the Philippines once again is the source of admiration world wide in terms of sports. Because of the government’s lack of support, the Philippines once again is the source of ridicule for its backward politics.
How come it’s so hard for the PSC to accept that they made a mistake in not recognizing this team? And now that they have manifested talent and skill by bring fame to our country, the PSC remains steadfast with their ruling and continues to deny the glaring fact in front of them. No wonder, we never win in the Olympics. No wonder that despite the many victories of Filipinos in various sports competition worldwide, it is so hard to win Gold medals in the Olympics.
Perhaps the PSC should also be investigated in how they really choose their champions?
