WHY it was allowed to happen continues to baffle the sane mind. I refer to the brutal taekwondo sparring session pitting a female and a male that went viral recently.
Why would a female spar with a male in a risky contact sport such as taekwondo?
And look at this: the female was a mere yellow belter pitted against a male black belter.
Only the insane would approve of it.
If it were boxing, it would be like pitting Manny Pacquiao the flyweight (in his early years) against Mike Tyson during his reign as the world’s heavyweight king.
A terrible mismatch, indeed, only allowed in the cruel Roman era that pitted man against lion. Barbaric.
But, alas, it happened, inside the hallowed grounds of a supposed religious school yet (Jesus is Lord Colleges Foundation) in Bocaue, Bulacan.
If it’s any consolation, the police have filed charges on behalf of the female athlete against those involved in the crime in violation of Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
For his part, Sen. Bong Go, as chair of the Senate committee on sports, is planning to conduct an investigation “in aid of legislation as there might be a need to amend the law in order to mete heavier penalties and fines against the perpetrators.”
Said Go: “Having seen the video, I find it very distressing watching how a 17-year-old female was mercilessly beaten by a male black belter…Sparring sessions are designed to hone the skills of our budding athletes. They are not intended to injure or potentially kill.”
And OMG: The male weighed twice as much as the female athlete.
In the video, the girl was repeatedly hit with kicks and hand blows and even got floored once or twice.
That was not sparring at all. That was short of being a graphic exhibition of how to cripple a foe.
When interviewed, the girl was sobbing inconsolably, her face virtually rearranged: badly swollen/busted lips, both eyes barely open, nose heavily bandaged, cheeks lumpy. Not to mention body welts.
The girl’s mother said her daughter is still in trauma.
Her tormentor and the referee/coach ought to suffer the severest penalty. Banned for life from the sport to begin with.
And the school?
No kid gloves treatment, please?