The country's quest for Olympic gold hit the wall again with the defeat of it's last hope the light flyweight boxer Mark Bariga. Bariga fought well enough in his first match with Cappai of Italy. But lost his fight in the round of 16 to Zhakypov of Kazakhstan. It was a controversial win for the much taller Zhakypov who eked out a 17-16 squeaker over Bariga. With a very clear advantage in their physique, Zhakypov seemed to bully and pushed Bariga around. Bariga was slapped by the Canadian referee Roland Labbe with a questionable penalty in the third round for for head-butting awarding Zhakypov an automatic two-point advantage.
Actually before the fight I already had it in my mind that Bariga is going to lost in that match simply because he was going to face a Kazakhstan fighter. Kazakhstan is an influential nation in AIBA with two representatives in the 27-members of the Executive Committee. It is also the headquarters of the Asian Boxing Confederation and host of the AIBA Boxing Academy. The secretary-general of Asian Boxing Confederation Aziz Kozhambetov is from Kazakhstan.
Two Kazakhstan fighter were already a beneficiary of controversial victories under dubious circumstances that seemed to favor Kazakhstan fighters. Zhakypov happens to be the first beneficiary in his 18-17 victory over France's Jeremy Beccu, and another Kazakhstan lightweight Gani Zhailauov who pulled off a hairline victory over Thailand's Saylom Ardee. The crowd was clearly surprised with the win on a count-back after a 12-12 draw.
Bariga's performance last Saturday was not good enough for a convincing win. It was his only way to win that match-a convincing win. He should have taken it away from the judges and the referee to have a say on the final outcome. His performance against Cappai of Italy was lot better and that was a convincing win.
Last Saturday, I think his coach made a mistake of not advising Bariga to stay away from Zhakypov. Or maybe Bariga did not follow instruction from his coach. What he should have done was to fight a hit-and-run style wherein he delivers a 1-2-3 punch combination and then ran away. Then comeback with a 1-2-3 combination again and so on.. In that way Zhakypov cannot execute his bullying tactics. Bariga was ahead by two points at the end of round two. So he can afford a hit and run because he was not catching up with the score. That could have been a different story. He should have not been slapped with a penalty because he would be fighting away from his opponent. Mark did not use his head. He was simply fighting and it was awful because he was clearly out of gas in the last round.
In Olympic boxing, a pure boxing skill is not enough to win a gold. A boxer has to think cleverly. He has to out wit his opponent. That separates the champions from the rookies. Bariga is just a rookie with a raw talent. No doubt this boy from Panabo, Davao is talented. He needs a good trainer and a good coach. Above all he needs funds for a good professional training.
So it's back to the drawing boards for the country's quest for that ever elusive Olympic gold. The question is are we on track to inch closer and closer and get there someday. For me the answer is yes we have a glimpse of hope. We are capable of producing someday Olympic gold caliber athletes because we have a young and ever growing population. Unlike other countries like Japan, China, European countries, Korea and some South American countries, they have an aging population. They have either a small or zero birth rate. So in the years to come they will have few and fewer athletes to compete because there will be less and less younger population.
For the Philippines, it's not enough to have good caliber athletes. The government has to have a resolve and commit to provide the necessary funds to support the training and livelihood of the athletes. The sports power countries are pouring millions of dollars into sports. How about us? We are putting millions of pesos in the pockets of politicians. If only all the congressmen can set aside Php.1 million each from their pork barrels for an Olympic gold incentive fund, then that could be a very very good start.
But before I forget, the politics in the Philippine Olympic Committee has to end once and for all. My goodness there a lot of deserving good athletes out there but could not get a chance to represent this country because of stupid politics within the sports associations , the Philippine Olympic Committee, and the Philippine Sports Commission!!! F_ _k you people!!!
I am very sure that the first ever Olympic Gold medalist of this country is going to be very rich in due time. The parents would be very proud of him. That hero is still out there waiting to be tap. I'm not sure though if that hero is already born. Good luck to all of us!
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