New year,new challenge

The year 2026 greets Philippine sports with a brew of promise and pressure.

Promise, because Filipino athletes are now more visible, confident and capable of winning big in the international arena. Pressure, because our countrymen already know that they have what it takes to shine and lame excuses are no longer acceptable.

In the previous years, Philippine sports had lived off momentum. Breakthrough victories in weightlifting, boxing, gymnastics, women’s football and lawn tennis proved that delivering world-class performances is not a matter of luck but a matter of support and clear direction.

The challenge of 2026 is whether national sports association (NSA) officials can sustain this momentum and transform it into a consistent and sustainable program that will keep our athletes atop the medal podium.

This year, NSA leaders should stop celebrating past medals. Instead, they should be plotting clear roadmaps aimed at sustaining the glory in the coming international events leading to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

The road to glory is long and demanding. Our NSA leaders should start working on a game plan to ensure that the momentum gained when Hidilyn Diaz secured the breakthrough gold medal in Tokyo and Carlos Yulo emerged with two golds in Paris will be sustained.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, for instance, is eager to send a team when the 3x3 event makes its debut in the Summer Games in LA. But instead of simply wishing, the federation must start working by identifying the country’s best 3x3 players from the grassroots level, put them together in a pool and give them the world’s best coaches and topnotch exposure.

The setback of the Filipino 3x3 cagers in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games should serve as an eye-opener. The federation should realize that 3x3 basketball is different from 5-on-5 and Filipinos can’t just simply walk onto the hardcourt and grab the gold medal. There must be a plan — a very solid plan — to turn their goal of seeing action in the Olympics into reality.

Other federations have started preparing for the future. The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association and the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas have given us a glimpse of what the future holds with the impressive performance of their young guns in the recent SEA Games.

In fact, save for pole vault star Ernest John Obiena, all of the Filipino gold medalists in track and field are 30 years and under, meaning they have a fighting chance in coming international events leading to the Summer Games.

The same goes for the weightlifters after 19-year-old Albert Ian de los Santos secured a silver medal in the SEA Games in record-breaking fashion. With his emergence, there is no doubt the future of Philippine weightlifting is secure.

You see, the pressure to deliver no longer falls on the athletes — it’s now on the sports officials. The NSA leaders must do a good job of identifying and training athletes from the grassroots and give them clear direction on how they can make it to the Olympics.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Olympic Committee and the private sector must be there with support and give these young athletes everything they need to chase their dreams, while the Philippine Sports Commission must make sure the massive government resources are all available if needed.

Again, the key to a successful performance in 2026 is governance. Philippine sports doesn’t lack for quality talents — they just need to be discovered and polished.

The year 2026 will put the country at a crossroads between sustained excellence and cyclical hype. Choosing the right path will require discipline, humility and long-term planning.

Filipino athletes have done their part. They have trained, sacrificed, competed and delivered with pride. The rest of the job now lies with our sports leaders. This early, they must do their job and let the future take care of itself.