Article by Eryk Katimbang Graphics by Carl Pedraja
June 25, 2022
As the Sea games closed on May 23, 2022, Philippines sat at 4th place with overall medals won trailing behind by Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam who came 3rd to 1st respectively. With 227 medals in the bag, the Philippines has proven yet again that they are on the rise for taking the competitive scene seriously.
Over the decade, the Philippines had struggled in reaching an acceptable standard in creating names for the competitive scene along with their southeast Asian neighbors, with more than 8 years being unable to reach even the top 5 when it came to overall medal count. Starting from 2011, the Philippines was only able to reach 6th place, clearly struggling in the competitive scene even after the years that followed it. Many had thought that this country would only stagnate its ranking for years to come. However, that all changed in 2019 when the Philippines themselves hosted the Sea Games. With their pride on the line, they managed to slip past all expectations and won 1st place. This proved that the Philippines has what it takes to become a competent and competitive country, thus igniting the pride of many dreams and aspirations of Filipinos that became inspired with their glory.
With their momentum of competitive spirit still lasting up to this year, the Philippines is trying to maintain that pride and competitive image that they once made back in 2019. Perhaps it was that single event in 2019 that led to the surprising place of the Philippines in the 2022 Sea Games as well, where they came about in 4th place. Whatever the reason may be, the next Sea Games will definitely test the mettle of the country’s competitive spirit yet again, and the Philippines are sure to aim high once again
Comments