Believe it or not, these women worked hard to get their arses to Games. And I don’t mean just the training here. I’m talking about raising the money and pooling funds they need in order to compete.

“Part of these sacrifices was the money we needed to raise to fund the participation fee for the SEA Games. The PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) informed us that there was no budget for our team. So we left no stone unturned in order to raise funds.”

And it was a reality that team members understood since futsal—an indoor version of football where each team fields in five players on court—is still perceived as a novel sport in the country.

“Sometimes you really have to prove yourself first before sponsors come in,” said Manny Batungbacal, team coach and Tiffany’s husband.

“In fairness to the PSC, they didn’t have any budget also,” said Batungbacal. “We’re a relatively new sport and it’s harder to gamble on us compared to boxing and all the other popular sports.”

But with funds still short a week before the SEA Games, the couple decided to sell their car.

“We’ve been really planning to sell it,” shared Batungbacal. “Days before we left for Thailand, we still lacked P250,000 and we sold the car for P220,000. But we had no regrets at all.”

Source: Inquirer, 23 December 2007

Bringing home the bronze medal didn’t just prove that these women are good at this sport, it showed heart, determination and pure passion for Futsal. Sponsors may now be lining up and the PSC will surely make room for them in their budget plans but I don’t want to forget this effort that they’ve put in. It makes me think of what it must have been like during the early days of the Olympics. I’m reminded of the first Jamaican bobsled team.

For me, these women have made history. I’m proud of them. I’m sure the rest of our countrymen are, too.

Congratulations!

Via Futsal Philippines (Thanks, Luis!)

Post from: EveryJoe

Philippine Women’s Futsal Team Bags Bronze, 24th SEA Games

I know there are people out there thinking that this is the worst performance by the country’s delegates esp coming from the last SEA Games wherein we ranked 1st. Then comparing the ratio of the medal tally among those ranked higher.

I believe you guys did the best you could and will be open to further improvement. It doesn’t really matter if bit about the ‘unfair and biased officiating’ of the host country occurred or not. No sense in ‘protesting’ now esp since all the medals have been awarded. Let due process take its course if ever it does become formal — investigating the allegations and such.

No matter. You guys are still awesome!

Some bits were sourced here: RP ends up 6th overall at SEA Games but 2nd in medals count

Post from: EveryJoe

24th SEA Games: Philippines Finishes 6th Place Over-all

Pétanque is a form of the game Boules, which is quite popular in France. According to Wikipedia, it’s a form of boules where the goal is to throw metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (jack). The game is normally played on hard dirt or gravel, but can also be played on grass or other surfaces.

The game is always played in teams, usually in three different configurations such as (a) three players per team (two boules per player), called triplets; (b) two players per team (three boules per player), called doublets; and (c) one player per team (three boules per player), called singles. A complete game is usually played up to 13 points.

Boules are made of steel ranging from 70.5 to 80 mm in diameter and 650 to 800 grams in weight. The Jacks are made of wood or of synthetic material with 25 to 35 mm in diameter.

The game is also similar to Bocce and Bowls.

Source: Wikipedia

Post from: EveryJoe

What is Pétanque?

You guys may be wondering what exactly is Sepak Takraw, well, it’s a local version of an organised hackey sack game only it uses a different sort of “sack”. According to Wikipedia, it is a sport native to Southeast Asia, resembling volleyball, except that it uses a rattan ball and only allows players to use their feet and head to touch the ball. A cross between soccer and volleyball, it is a popular sport in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, Philippines and Indonesia.

Takraw means “kick” in Thai.

Sepak Takraw is also called Takraw for short or a Westernised term used is Kick Volleyball. Yes, the game uses a net to separate two Regus or teams, which consists of three players. Two players will position themselves at the front, near the net and one will be at the back and is called, Tekong.

Source | Photo Credit

Post from: EveryJoe

What is Sepak Takraw?

* Archery
* Aquatics
* Athletics
* Badminton
* Basketball
* Billiards and Snooker
* Bodybuilding
* Boxing
* Bowling
* Canoe/Kayak
* Chess

* Cycling
* Dancesport
* Equestrian
* Fencing
* Football
* Golf
* Gymnastics
* Handball
* Hockey
* Judo
* Karatedo

* Lawn bowls
* Muay Thai
* Netball
* Pencak Silat
* Petanque
* Polo
* Rowing
* Rugby
* Sailing
* Sepaktakraw
* Shooting

* Softball
* Squash
* Table tennis
* Taekwondo
* Tennis
* Traditional boat race
* Triathlon
* Volleyball
* Weightlifting
* Wrestling
* Wushu

Is there a particular favourite? Let me know!

Post from: EveryJoe

2007 SEA Games Event Listing

Singapore was supposedly the host for this year’s SEA Games, however, by 2004 they gave up the privilege since one of the venues that was supposed to have been used for the Games was still under construction.

South East Asian Games is a biannual multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The first SEA Games was held in the year 1959.

Source: Wikipedia

Post from: EveryJoe

XXIV South East Asian Games

Someone brought up the issue of athletes playing just for the money. My two cents on the matter, I reckon as long as media plays a huge role in sports, the question about commercialism will always be raised. [End of thought]

As for my country, Philippines, competing globally, it will take a lot of organisation and cooperation from the sports industry, the government and, of course, the athletes. Everyone has to work together to bring the athlete and coaching competency to a world-class level.

Enters the financial aspect of the sport. Money is needed to send these athletes to international competitions so that they can get used to competing against other nations, and it’s also needed for training and relevelant education for coaches and athletes. If we are to talk of money in sports, common misconception is that it’s always about the athlete “selling out” but we all know it’s not always true. The development of these athletes will go further, hopefully even get to world-class level, if there is enough financial support to see them through the necessary steps to get there.

A good example is the recently set up National Unified Sports Program, which is patterned after the US Olympic Committee. Programs like this one will help us achieve the country’s objective of successfully competing in the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. And, hopefully, bag a gold or two.

And right now, competing in team sports isn’t our strongest point so focusing on other events like, Martial Arts [TaeKwonDo and Wushu] and Boxing are good options. But that’s not to say that we shouldn’t work on developing Football, Tennis, or Swimming. Perhaps we just need time and a little more support from the entire country.

Post from: EveryJoe

What sport should the Filipinos focus on?