Yulo’s victory, government’s neglect

When I was just starting with my genealogy research, I discovered Bea Lucero. Back then, I had no idea about Claveria’s surname decree so like many Filipinos, I immediately claimed her as my cousin. Anyone growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s know who Bea Lucero is; she won a bronze medal in the taekwondo demonstration sport featherweight division in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Bea was more well-known as an artistic gymnast who won her first Southeast Asian (SEA) Games medal in 1985 in Bangkok and in the 1987 SEA Games in Jakarta, she won two gold and three silver medals.

Last August 4th, 24-year-old Carlos Yulo became the first Filipino athlete to win not just one but two gold medals in the Olympics. Gymnastics in the Philippines was started by Candido Bartolome of the University of the Philippines and Francisca Aquino of the Bureau of Public Schools, although the Americans had introduced it together with other sports early in their rule.

Though Filipinos showed some interest in these sports, most did not participate. Filipinos weren’t used to intense sports and didn't see why they should exhaust themselves with such activities. It wasn't until competition between towns and provinces began that a widespread enthusiasm for various sports developed.

The Philippines joined the International Olympic Committee in 1918 and in 1924, we joined the Summer Olympics with one participant, runner David Nepomuceno. Not only was this the first time we participated in the Olympics, it was also the first time that a Southeast Asian nation joined the event. Although Nepomuceno did not qualify to compete in the quarterfinals, he made his mark in Philippine sporting history as the first Filipino Olympian. Above all, he is also remembered today for protesting the inclusion of the American flag together with our flag as he carried it during the opening. He later competed and won in various competitions of the Far Eastern Championship Games, a precursor to the Asian Games.

Before Yulo’s amazing feat in this year’s Olympics, we already won eight bronzes and five silvers, and one gold (our very first) in the person of Hidilyn Diaz who emerged first in the Women’s 55 kg event in Weightlifting in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Over the years, we’ve seen the frustration of our athletes as despite many of them doing very well, corruption and turf wars in our sports commission and the overall lack of support from our leaders have disillusioned many of our promising athletes.

One obvious example is Wesley So, one of the most gifted chess grandmasters not just in the Philippines, but in the world. In 2013, So applied for US citizenship, citing his frustrations with how things were being run within the country’s sports governing bodies. In March 2017 he was ranked number two in the world, and with a skill level of 2822, So is considered the fifth-highest-rated player in chess history. He became a US citizen in 2021, and imagine the honor he could have continuously brought to our nation had we supported him.

A Philippine Collegian article in 2023 reported that “a path of neglect and exploitation awaits student-athletes should they compete in Philippine national sports…that what is blurred in moments of national pride is an exploited sports sector left underfunded by the same government that praises it. Concealed in Philippine sports is the conversion of hard-fought glory earned by unsupported national athletes into political capital by the state.”

As we celebrate Carlos Yulo’s victory, let’s not forget that an official report from the Olympics site, Yulo was “without a coach less than five months from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.” The fact that he managed to win, despite his neglectful country, two gold medals is a testament to his skills and perseverance and not what this corrupt government has to offer its athletes. Congratulations, Caloy!