The Carver's House

Following are the Olympic sports that the ordinary Filipino can attempt to excel in without the heavy investment (save perhaps time, a training partner, and a trainer). Other sports could have made this list, but these require team training or heavy equipment investments. Most of the following aren't team sports, allowing the athlete to focus on oneself. Badminton - A lot of training facilities. Off-the-rack equipment. Boxing - We already have a strong boxing tradition. Swimming - Akiko Thompson, Eric Buhain, et al. gave us a chance. Table Tennis - Equipment isn't too heavy an investment. Track and Field - Specifically the track events. Triathlon - Swimming, biking, running. As of this writing, fellow ASEAN nations Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia have already won medals-- in weightlifting. Not a very "entertaining" sport, but our local sports commission should take serious note of this.

South Korea has a population that's about half that of the Philippines, but they've got a delegation that's 250+ strong and, as of this writing, two have already won medals. Taiwan, with a far smaller population, boasts 75. City-state Singapore has 24. Even Jamaica, a country that's about as large as Isabela province, and with a population that's just a few hundred thousand more than Quezon City, still managed to send 58. When I look at the athlete list of the Philippine Olympic delegation, I can't help but wonder again-- thirteen athletes , with only one in boxing. But then I shouldn't wonder, given the kind of financial and logistical support the local sports scene has been getting, plus so many other factors beyond the control of the athletes themselves. Still, I'd like to dream. (Kung tutuusin, hinahalo naman ang isports sa showbiz, kaya bakit hindi na lang gumawa ng reality TV talent search para sa isports? Partikular ang track and field o kaya'...