What is Southeast Asian Games?
The 28th Southeast Asian games or simply, SEA games, is a sporting event in which eleven Asian countries participated. Four thousand three hundred and seventy athletes joined in the said event and competed in different thirty-six sports. This year, the SEA games occurred in Singapore. It is the fourth time the country had hosted the games. From the fifth of June up until the sixteenth, people from all over the Southeast Asian countries were excited with the games and rooted their own favorites.
Participation of the Philippines
With four hundred seventy-two participants in the Philippines, the Filipinos were excited and looked forward with this year's SEA games. Alyssa Valdez, one of the volleyball players, was the chosen one to carry the flag. At the end of the games, the Philippines accumulated twenty-nine gold medals, thirty-six silver medals, and sixty-six bronze medals. Overall, the country won one hundred thirty-one medals and ranked in the sixth place out of eleven countries.
Alyssa Valdez leading the parade while carrying the flag
Diving Fails
John Elmerson Fabriga, twenty-one years old, and one of his teammates, John David Pahoyo, seventeen, went viral when their video was posted in the Internet. The two men were divers and both participated in the SEA games. The two failed in their performance when they landed in the wrong positions. This gained them the score of zero from all the judges.
"I even laughed at myself after I did this dive," he [Pahoyo] said, tagging his teammate Fabriga. "I am still proud because not all of us has the privilege to represent our own country to such a big sporting event like this. And by the way can I ask all of you if you can still smile after getting embarrassed in front of thousands of people?" (http://time.com/3918579/diving-philippines-sea-games-filipino-john-elmerson-fabriga-john-david-pahoyo/)
You can watch the controversial video in this link: https://youtu.be/ToPRDDPN4xg
Fabriga and Pahoyo, Filipino divers
Rationality of Philippines joining in the SEA games
Even though a lot of people were happy with the sixth place, the coaches and leaders are still baffled by this year's performance, particularly with the controversial Filipino divers. Ronnie Nathanielsz, a Filipino sports analyst, was unhappy with the news. "Tragedy," said Nathanielsz. "This was an unmitigated tragedy." (http://cnnphilippines.com/sports/2015/06/17/2015-Sea-Games-Philippines-do-better.html)
In my own personal opinion, I think the Filipino divers was a bit disappointing and upsetting. But it wasn't their fault. They do not deserve the bash that they receive in social media. The one should be questioned is the coach. It wasn't an accident why Fabriga and Pahoyo landed that way. They were taught the wrong way.
Compared to the past years where the Philippines was normally part of the top countries, this year, it is ranked in the sixth place. A lot of people were disappointed about this, but it is okay. There is also a saying that there is always a next time. Filipinos are just human beings and we all make mistakes. Just because we failed in one sport doesn't mean that we are losers. The participants in the triathlon, rugby, boxing, billiards, softball, cycling, taekwondo, tennis, basketball (and many more) gained gold medals. Even at sixth place, I am proud of my own country for wearing a smile in the lowest of times.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Southeast_Asian_Games
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines_at_the_2015_Southeast_Asian_Games
© Lovella Mole | SY 2015-2016
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