Boxing, na-lutong macaw -- Vargas
JAKARTA—Sapat na ang nakamit na apat na medalya, dalawang silver at 15 bronze sa 18th Asian Games para magdiwang ang sambayanan, ayon kay Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Ricky Vargas.
Iginiit ni Vargas, nahalal sa POC kasama si Abraham Tolentino bilang chairman sa POC election na ipinag-utos ng korte, na ang naging kampanya ng Pinay ay sapat nang kahandaan para sa darating na Southeast Asian Games na iho-host ng bansa sa susunod na taon.
Kabuuang 227 atleta ang ipinadala sa Jakarta at nagawang malagpasanang 1-3-11 medalya sa 2014 Incheon Asian Games at maitala ang matikas na kampanya mula noong 2010 Guangzhou edition kung saan umani ang koponan ng 3-4-9 medalya.
“‘Yung mga atleta natin can stand proud on the medal stand. We have really improved our medal tally from one gold, three silvers and 11 bronze medals. We’ve done better,” pahayag ni Vargas.
“Ang atleta talaga ang magdadala, kaya the athlete needs all the support. They get the blame, they get the reward, but our role is to really support the athletes. They are the most important part of the equation,” aniya.
Sa apat na ginto, ang pinakabata sa edad na 17 na si YTuka Saso ng golf ang tinanghal na double gold medalits matapos ang tagumpay sa individual at team competition kasama sina Bianca Pagdanganan, 21, at Kaye Lois Go, 19, habang umani rin sina skateboarder Margielyn Didal, 19 at ang beteranong weighlifter na si Hidilyn Diaz.
“The women in sports are really giving us so much pride. So we should really look at parity and bring in more (of them) in sports. They have proven that they can win,” ayon kay Vargas.
Mula sa ika-22 puwesto sa 2014 Asiad, umusad ang Philippines sa No.19, ngunit nanatiling nasa likuran ng mga karibal sa SEA Games na Thailand (12th, 11 golds, 14 silvers, 46 bronzes), Malaysia (14th, 6-12-15) at Vietnam (17th, 4-16-18).
Ikinalungkot naman ni Vargas, pangulo ng boxing association, ang naging resulta sa ‘judging’ na ikinabigo nina flyweight Rogen Ladon sa finals at sina light flyweight Carlo Paalam at middleweight Eumir Marcial sa quarterfinals.
“From the sport that I lead, I’m frustrated not by how the boxers performed, but how the results were judged,” sambit ni Vargas, patungkol sa tila pabor na mga desisyon sa Uzbekistan fighters. Ang kasalukuyang pangulo ng International Boxing Federation ina si Gafuk Rakhimov ay isang Uzbek.
“When boxing presidents and athletes come to your dugout saying that you won, it gives you a sense that injustice has been done. When the crowd from Indonesia and some from Thailand were cheering for the Philippines, then there must have been something wrong that had happened,” aniya.