All of us need to force a smile and try to make sense of what’s happening. The Philippine Paralympic team came out without single medal from Tokyo but Ernie Gawilan and company deserve our utmost respect for carrying the flag proudly in the face of superior opposition.
GLORY is addictive and with the Tokyo delight of Pinoy Olympians, I’m sure it will not hurt if we will make appreciation a regular habit. Hidilyn, the heroine of Zamboanga, is now made for life, while Nesthy, Eumir and scavenger-turned multi-millionaire Carlo are now part of our vocabulary.
PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez said it’s understandable that Filipinos are expecting Pinoy Olympians to deliver the goods in the Tokyo Olympics.
It is heartwarming to note that in this time of the pandemic, Philippine sports is boosting our spirits. We’ve lost a lot of friends already, businesses are shattered, movements are limited, and some of us are still waiting for the first jab. We should not make fools of ourselves and turn blind to reality.
THE mushrooming of self-styled experts after Gilas Pilipinas Olympic qualifier campaign in far but picturesque Serbia pains me. I’ve been reading a lot of stories from the social media regarding the tremendous improvement of the national team to the point that the write-ups tend to bury that glaring fact that we didn’t win a single game in our group, thus kissing our Olympic hopes goodbye for the nth time.
![Tab Baldwin [FIBA.com photo]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-2-1-400x200.jpg)
It takes me quite a while before I sing high praises for Gilas Pilipinas.
![Yuka Saso [photo credit: USGA]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/yuka1-400x200.jpg)
Yuka in one brief moment of time showed the world that Filipinos are worthy of being respected and adored by all races.
![Chito Victolero [PBA Images]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/chito-400x200.jpg)
The Hotshots are currently in bubble training at Lipa and the former pro player expressed confidence that his charges can compete with the big guns in the PBA. There is no exact date yet for the resumption of the games badly affected by the pandemic but Victolero assured fans that the Hotshots are getting ready for action.
![Kiefer Ravena of the NLEX Road Warriors. [PBA Images]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/PBA-Images1-400x200.jpg)
I can only offer my sympathy for budding basketball superstar Kiefer Ravena. I very well understand his desire to embark on a Japanese expedition. His athletic abilities and his proven fighting heart will be a potent mix for the Shiga Lakestars in the Japanese Basketball League.
By this time, Eumir Felix Marcial must have learned a lesson or two about humility. What transpired in Dubai’s Asian Seniors Boxing Championships, isn’t the scenario that we’ve envisioned it to be.
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