Members of Gilas Pilipinas Women showed compassion to Thailand basketball player Supavadee Kunchuan in light of the social media hate she got following their title match in the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games last week.
Kunchuan expressed her frustrations after some Filipino fans insulted her in light of the loss and the SEA Games Organizing Committee’s eligibility requirements that left the Philippines scrambling to form a squad at the very last minute.
“This all started when someone came to my IG and left a shameful comment. Going to someone’s page just to say something hurtful — especially when it’s not true or not even related — is very inappropriate. That is why I made that post: to speak up for myself,” Kunchuan said.
“I have received many messages regarding the rules that were made. Please understand that some decisions are beyond my control, and some details were not known to us, as our role is to be athletes — not politics or management.”
Trina Guytingco, who was part of the Gilas squad that defeated the Thais, 73-70, in the gold medal match, left a comment on Kunchuan’s post as a sign of peace.
“Love you Supagirl,” Guytingco said.
Even Gilas Women head coach Pat Aquino has nothing but respect for the Thais, who gave them a hard time throughout the entire gold medal match.
“I’d like to thank Thailand also for playing a good game today. Wow, it’s been a hard battle going to the gold,” Aquino said.
“I can’t say anything about the girls. I’m so proud of them, they gave it their all,”
Even veteran guard Afril Bernardino enjoyed the atmosphere at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok with both Filipino and Thai fans cheering from the stands.
“The atmosphere here in the stadium is really good. It adds pressure to the game and at the same time, it’s a boost since there are still a lot of Filipinos supporting us,” Bernardino said.