It’s safe to say that the Paris Summer Olympics is already the Philippines’ best Olympic campaign in a century. 

A haul of two gold medals and two bronze medals is an improvement from the one gold medal (the Philippines’ first!), two silvers, and one bronze medal from the Tokyo Summer Olympics. 

Carlos Yulo was clearly the star of this Olympic cycle as he won the hearts of many with his stellar performance in the Men’s Vault and the Men’s Floor Exercise.

Nesthy Petecio joined a special group of Filipino athletes with her second Olympic medal after a gutsy performance against very talented opposition.

Aira Villegas also earned a bronze in her Olympic debut, which is be a sign of good things to come for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, USA. 

There were also a few close calls, with EJ Obiena finishing fourth in the men’s pole vault event, while Bianca Pagdanganan had a strong final round that put her in the hunt for a medal until the very end. Meanwhile, Erleen Ando (Women’s Weightlifting 59 kg) and Carlo Paalam (Men’s Boxing 57 kg) ended their respective stints in sixth place and in the quarterfinals. 

Of course, the Philippines’ Paris Olympics campaign was not without its hiccups, from the Yulo family’s coverage (which unfairly took away the attention from Carlos’ golden double) to the  uniform issues that hounded the Women’s Golf Team. We’re past the point of saying there’s no perfect campaign, though, because some of these hiccups have become an annual tradition, while the media did play its part in giving Angelica Yulo air time when things should have been resolved behind closed doors (and without a lawyer). 

Even Philippine basketball caught a stray as the 2024 Olympics was ongoing. 

If the point is to support other athletes in other sports, then that is warranted. Basketball and as of late, volleyball have been getting the attention and resources, but you can’t fault these sports, per se. Men’s basketball and women’s volleyball have quite the market in the Philippines, so it’s not surprising that private companies invest in these sports. 

Besides the athletes in the Olympics, we have promising players and teams such as the Philippine Women’s National Football Team, who had a great debut in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and Alex Eala, who may eventually need to put up another trophy cabinet at the rate she’s going. If given the same amount of support, who knows what heights they can reach? 

However, there is no need to tear down a sport and its current circumstances at the expense of the other. To say that we haven’t achieved anything in basketball is unfair and speaks of the crab mentality we Filipinos are unfortunately known for. Moreover, saying we’re not built for basketball size-wise means we completely ignore the likes of Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao, and 7-time (and most likely 8-time) PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, who have not only developed into great players in the last decade, but have held their own internationally. 

If anything, Philippine basketball has had a resurgence. Gilas Pilipinas Men’s broke a 61-year gold medal drought in the Asian Games, while Gilas Pilipinas Women’s has maintained their Division A status by finishing no lower than sixth place in competitions since 2023. This is on top of what the Gilas Youth teams have achieved in recent months, with Gilas Women’s U18 dominating the competition and earning Division A status, while the Boy’s U18 swept their SEABA opponents to clinch a spot in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 

Gilas Pilipinas Men’s was also two wins away from clinching an Olympic berth and under better leadership could have gotten an outright Olympic berth through the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Given Gilas Pilipinas Women’s current trajectory and their solid program, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them on the Olympic stage in a few years. 

There may come a time when private companies will divert some of their funds to the other sports, and that will be a great development for Philippine sports. However, the support can’t just be limited to these big corporations; we too have to chip in. Going to local competitions and following these athletes in their other competitions will be a big boost, especially if local broadcasters can help spread the event to the far corners of the Philippines. Obiena’s plan to hold a pole vault competition is a great step and a laudable move, but it’s also up to us to support by watching and showing it also matters to us. 

While the Philippines may have ended its 2024 Paris Summer Olympics campaign, the Paris Paralympics is set to begin on August 28. Six Filipinos will see action in four sports, also an improvement from the four athletes in three sports that were fielded by the Philippines in the Tokyo Paralympics. A medal would certainly be the dream, but representation means as much. 

At this point, we should be proud of what the Philippines has achieved in its 100 years of participating in the Summer Olympics. There’s no place to bring anyone down, because this is a time to uplift everyone, including those who tried but did not reach the podium. After all, we’re all Filipinos and what’s good for them will be good for the country and the games we play and love.