THE OLYMPICS: HOPE TAKES WORK

Manila Bulletin.  Hope takes work. Let’s face it, the physical and mental preparation of our athletes are hardly commensurate with the hopes they cherish. While our Asian neighbors have set up world-class sporting infrastructures, many of our training facilities are in a pitiable condition. Some sports depend only on private sponsorship in order to survive. The training of some athletes is even financed by their own parents or private sponsors. Some grew up in the United States, trained there, and would later compete under the Philippine flag – at very little expense from our government. While other Asian governments have set up monolithic sports bodies to supervise the training of their athletes, our national sports agencies are saddled with power struggles and political intrigues. Rather than concentrate on their training, athletes are torn between divided loyalties... Read more