Hard road to Olympics should also be way of life

The Aug. 20, 2012 editorial of the Inquirer addressed the issue of the dismal performance of our athletes in the last Olympics and gave the following as a proposal to improve our athletes’ performance: “The national leadership needs to find the resolve to draw up a coherent and properly funded national sports development program, covering both the grassroots and the elite sectors, to be run by credible and competent leaders and complemented by privately financed corporate programs on mass sports to cover the rest of society. The idea is to make sports both a way of life and a state of mind.”

The resolution sounds good. If this were implemented I think sports in the country will certainly improve. I would just like to add that in the end the one who crosses the finish line is the athlete himself. What do I mean?

Many, if not all, of the athletes who won medals in the Olympics did have good support from their families, clubs, coaches, team mates, sponsors, etc. It seems that they stood where they stood when they got the medals, because there was an entire structure behind them backing them up.

But take a look at each of them. Listen to their stories. We will observe that in every case we find a person who had a dream and worked hard to attain it. They are stories of inspiration, ambition, discipline and hard work. They are stories of virtues.

Yes, I think we Filipinos should get our act together. But I also think we Filipinos (and I mean each one) should aim higher and work harder. It’s the only way to get those medals.

—FR. CECILIO L. MAGSINO,

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