THE embarrassment suffered by two Filipino divers in the 28th Southeast Asian Games is merely a reflection of the sad state of the sport owing to the lack of support and a clear-cut program, the head of the Philippine Aquatic Sports Association (Pasa) said on Thursday.
Pasa head Mark Joseph said he wasn't surprised by the poor showing of Elmerson Fabriga and John David Pahoyo in Singapore, which saw the two Pinoy divers come under a hail of criticism and ridicule after completely muffing their dives for zero scores in the 3m springboard.
The two divers are not only new, but they also received little in terms of support, Joseph admitted.
“They’re new, they’re young they’re fist-timers at this level, so don’t expect fireworks. Alam mo naman yung divers natin, we only have one training center,” said Joseph, who admitted not seeing viral videos of the two's performances as he only arrived in Singapore on Thursday afternoon after having to rush to his dying cousin in Penang, Malaysia.
“But with their performances, I am not surprised, I am not surprised. The amount of money that is spent in our sports is nothing compared to our kalaban. It’s that simple,” he said in a high tone.
Asked why the two Filipino divers failed to come up with respectable routines in the 3m springboard competition, Joseph said the Singapore letdown can serve as a wake-up call for sports stakeholders.
“We always like it to be better, but maybe it should teach a lesson to everybody that if you don’t invest … don’t expect,” he said. “It takes years and years to make a champion.”
“The reality is we are really left behind. Look at the Rizal Memorial (Sports Complex) compared to what you see here (in Singapore),” he added.
Source: Snow Badua of Spin.ph
