Sustaining the momentum

The curtains are set to fall on the 20th Asian Games with a glittery closing ceremony at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya on Sunday, signaling the return of the battle-scarred Filipino athletes to a proud and grateful nation.

Indeed, it was mission accomplished for Team Philippines. As of Saturday morning, it had matched its previous performance in Hangzhou in 2023 with its collection of four gold, eight silver and 16 bronze medals in the biggest, most prestigious multi-sport event in Asia.

But once the champagne has been drunk and the confetti swept away, a sobering question stares us in the face: how can we sustain this momentum?

Look closely at the medal tally. Who carried the country’s golden hopes on their shoulders? Carlos Yulo of gymnastics and Ernest John Obiena of athletics. They are both world-class talents and future Hall of Famers. They have put the country on the global sporting map not just with their skills, but with their grit, determination and hunger to succeed.

But this sports-loving country cannot bank on Yulo and Obiena forever. We need a sustainable, reliable program that will create a solid pipeline of talents to make sure the gold medals in major international events like the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics will keep coming by the time Yulo and Obiena hang up their boots.

The medal tally in these Asian Games provides the biggest clue. A lot of young, emerging stars pulled off surprises when they climbed the medal podium, painting a very encouraging picture of the future of Philippine sports.

Properly cared for, these young stars can carry the torch for our sports-loving country. They would signal the changing of the guard as the likes of Yulo, Obiena, Nesthy Petecio, Eumir Marcial, Carlo Paalam, Aira Villegas and Amaya Paz-Cojuangco slowly make their way to the exit.

We are fortunate to have witnessed their emergence. With wet and rainy Nagoya serving as a perfect backdrop, top Filipino sports officials got a crystal-clear idea of what they need to do to sustain the momentum and keep the country’s hopes afloat.

Indeed, we have a lot of promising talents.

Eldrew Yulo, Yulo’s 18-year-old brother, for one, is a perfect example. He displayed a glimpse of his potential after he bagged the bronze medal in the horizontal bar to lead the youth movement for Team Philippines.

Of course, also part of that elite group is 21-year-old tennis sensation Alex Eala, the fast-rising Women’s Tennis Association star who secured the bronze medal in the women’s singles event, as well as 20-year-old Abert delos Santos of weightlifting, 18-year-old Juliana Candelaria of taekwondo, and 23-year-old Victoria Bossong of athletics.

And before the competition came to a close on Friday, 22-year-old University of Santo Tomas student Jeus Yape bagged a gold medal in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo event, followed by 18-year-old Tachiana Mangin, a former world junior champion, who won silver in the women’s 49-kilogram kyurogi event.

You see, the talent is there. What we need is a system, a solid sustainable program that will mold these athletes into future Asian Games and Olympic champions.

For decades, national sports associations have operated on a lazy, transactional philosophy, banking entirely on the finished products.

Instead of investing time, money, and infrastructure in grassroots development, talent pipelines and provincial training hubs, our sports officials prefer to sit back and wait for the next sensation to walk through the door.

Mostly, like in the case of Eala, they rely on overseas training paid for by the athletes themselves, their families’ sacrifices, and foreign funded programs to mold a champion, only to rush to the front row with open arms and cameras ready the moment a medal is won.

Developing the next generation of stars requires more than a reactive cash incentive after a victory. It demands proactive, systematic nurturing from the ground up. It means building proper infrastructure in the regions, ensuring school sports leagues are well-supported, and hiring competent, incorruptible administrators who view athlete development as a sacred duty rather than a political piggy bank.

Right now, our sports pipeline has a lot of raw material. We have plenty of talent. But when the likes of Obiena and Petecio step away, will these young stars step up to carry the cudgels? If we continue to rely on a hand-to-mouth cycle of elite-only support, Philippine sports will plunge off a cliff the moment our generational talents retire.

Instead of solely celebrating our triumphs, we should take a closer look at other athletes who also delivered and how we can turn their silver and bronze medals into golds.

If sports officials truly want to honor the sacrifices of Obiena, Yulo, and our other national athletes, they must stop treating the other medalists as an afterthought. Rather, they should be forward-thinking, anticipating the quality of battle that awaits them in the next Asian Games in Doha in 2030 and the Summer Olympics in Brisbane in 2032.

Otherwise, we will remain a nation perpetually chasing ghosts, celebrating yesterday’s heroes while failing to develop tomorrow’s champions.