Filipino boxer Mark Barriga lost a tightly-contested bout against his Kazakhstan foe, bowing out of contention in the London Olympics amateur boxing on Saturday.
Barriga's defeat is another blow to the Philippines' quest for an olympic gold, as other Pinoy athletes were also bowing out of London, whose weights on their shoulders were made even heavier by the pressure of getting a gold for the country.
The athletes have done their part. Barriga did all his best to topple the much taller Kazakh wrestler, er, boxer but to no avail. The pressure of the game was nothing compared to the pressure that the Filipino people placed around his waist.
Barriga did his best. And so were the other Filipino athletes. But we all know that there is something wrong with how our country train athletes.
Is the government giving them the right tools? Are they well compensated so they won't have to think hard of what to send to their families back home while they are training in Manila? Are we giving them the much needed support, including financial, to make them more competitive in their respective fields?
We pin our hope so much on our boxer but the government clearly is not doing something (more) about it. Just check out our sports programs for boxing and you will surely be knocked down by the sad reality.
Filipino athletes are talented and skilled. But so are the athletes of the other countries. When you pit them against each other, you certainly will say that they are of equal footing. The only (read: big) difference is how the governments of those countries take care of their athletes - the same athletes who can bring home the gold and place their country in the medal tally.
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