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Saturday, December 03, 2005
Taneo: Who, we cheat?
By Paul J. Taneo
Free-for-all
When a prime minister accuses another country of cheating, that is a serious matter. When that prime minister happens to be from Thailand, the host country, being the Philippines, can brush off his accusation as plain bitterness.
Thailand, notorious for cheating in sports events like boxing, should look at itself first before throwing dirt at another nation. It is common knowledge that if a foreign boxer fights in Thailand, practically the only way he can win is if he knocks out his Thai foe or if the fight goes the distance, that the Thai boxer’s face does not resemble his original looks before the fight started. The latter scenario is not even a guarantee.
As to cheating in these SEA Games, let us go back two years ago to the 22nd SEA Games in Vietnam. Seven Filipinos boxers entered the finals against all Thai fighters, five Filipinos lost in very dubious decisions. After the fourth victory by a Thai, the crowd got so riled up that debris was pelted unto the ring. And that is not even a Cebu Coliseum crowd throwing missiles at the court over a perceived MBA referee’s blunder call against the Cebu Gems.
Revulsion at official cheating is universal.
Not to endorse retaliation or concur with alleged cheating in RP’s Seag hosting, but if you wipe mud at your (Asean) neighbor, you will rub some of the mud on yourself.
SAFEGUARDS. There will always be complaints and accusations of deceit in international games, be it the Olympics or the Asian Games or your friendly inter-barangay basketball tournament. And cheats do have escaped with wins before. Rules and tests to safeguard the integrity of the games are becoming more stringent every year and cheaters have to find novel ways to ply their vile trade.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand has been quoted as saying: “I have been following the SEA Games closely and believe that the SEA Games should exist to help athletes lift their standards. It should not be about winning gold medals.”
Of course it is. The only sure way to show that athletes have lifted their standards is by winning gold medals. If it weren’t so, Thaksin wouldn’t be complaining. Thailand’s athletes, especially the ones who won silver and bronze medals, by getting the opportunity to compete against others that appear to be of better stuff by winning the gold, have in effect lifted their standards. They should go back to training and do better next time to bag the gold.
CITIZENSHIP. Some countries have even resorted to questioning the citizenship of the Philippines’ import athletes like Cecil Mamiit and Frederick Taino, both Filipino-Americans who look very Filipino and not American in the very least. Okay, so Mamiit and Taino got their Filipino citizenship only early this year, but there is nothing wrong with that. It’s a technical matter. These Fil-Ams have Filipino blood after all, unlike other foreign players that countries in Africa, Europe, and even in racially-sensitive Japan, entice with juicy financial considerations to have their citizenship altered to be able to play for countries that they don’t have any racial or heritage links with whatsoever.
The purity and ideals of amateur sports (the SEA Games are classified thus) tread on blurry borders that are stretched all the time. Getting the best training or getting the best athletes from outside one’s country are the means to win gold and glory in sports.
It is a given: there will always be discontents and complaints, and for sure, a measure of cheating in sports competitions. By announcing to the world accusations of dishonesty will in no way “uphold the sporting spirit” of the biennial event that Thaksin said should be “a greater priority.”
With two days to go in the SEA Games, the Philippines, ahead by a mere 22 gold medals over second-placer Vietnam (incidentally, one Vietnamese official publicly said that he had not noticed any cheating in the Games) cannot afford to be too cocky. With about 50 gold medals available today and double that tomorrow, anything can happen.
(paulotaneo@yahoo.com)
(December 3, 2005 issue)
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