Olympic Games and the R.A. 9064

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

AS I writing this article (Friday, August 8), the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics is in progress. And by the time you read this piece I’m very sure the battle for the world’s sports supremacy is underway and many medals have already been won especially in the swimming events.

World scribes say this Beijing Olympics is the most popular and the most expensive games since the birth of this quadrennial meet in 1896 in Athens, Greece. This 29th edition of the world’s best athletes encounter also features a record 205 Olympic teams with 10,708 athletes participating from around the globe to contest the most coveted medal, all 302 gold in 28 sports events.

Beijing, the third Asian city to host the Olympics after Tokyo in 1964 and Seoul in 1988, China is the most populous nation on Earth with 1.3 billion people.

Sports observers say that the host China-despite its being disrupted by the political protests over the Tibet issue has a big chance to seize the overall supremacy as far gold medal harvest is concerned.

I think so, too, because it placed second to the U. S. in 2004 and now it is the host. And as host, morale support provided by their compatriots would weigh in heavily.

I know this because I’ve been a competitive athlete for 32 years.

And remember, China perennially dominated the Asian Games since it entered this premier meet of Asia.

Our country is sending our best 15 athletes to Beijing. Let’s pray for their victory and a chance to bring home the elusive gold this time.

But admittedly our chances are slim unlike the Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Europeans, Africans and the Latinos.

And you know why.

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The second session of the 14th Congress already opened last month and I hope the amendment of Republic Act 9064 will be one of the measures that our lawmakers would tackle.

R.A. 9064 says athletes and coaches who win medals in the Olympics, Asian Games and SEA Games are entitled to cash rewards and/or incentives.

The law, however, does not reward the winners of non-Olympic sports like bowling and billiards.

This is unfair.

To my mind, this is also discriminatory because why is it that a four-time World Cup bowling champ like Paeng Nepomuceno, Bong Coo and 9-ball billiards kings like Efren “Bata” Reyes, Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano to name a few, not qualify for the rewards?

These people left huge imprints in the world of sports, especially Nepomuceno who was also cited by no less than former International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Juan Antonio Samaranch, who presented him with the IOC President’s Award although bowling is not an Olympic sport. His unequalled feats earned him a slot in the Guinness Book of World Records. One of a kind, ‘ika nga.

So where is fairness here?

These athletes’ victories in world-class tournaments should be equally recognized as those of Olympic gold medalists because their achievements are equally significant.

Former Rizal Rep. Gualberto Duavit who headed the defunct Ministry of Youth and Sports Development during the martial law regime was the author of this sports incentives bill. He stressed the importance of rewarding the athletes based on fairness and equality.

And that ought to be done. Kawawa naman yong mga atleta natin na hindi Olympian pero masyadong naghirap para sa ating bansa.

I hope they will amend the bill.

(Readers may reach columnist at biking.jess@yahoo.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/sports-eye/
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