'Sports has always been a unifying theme in the midst of trouble and uncertainty, and more so when people have overcome a global crisis.' RapplerArt ArtPH FromOurArchives:
The ball simply stopped bouncing. Who would have thought we would see the day that basketball courts all over the country would be barren, desolate places on weekends?
All major athletic events, both local and international, have been scrapped. The International Olympic Committee finally gave in to the clamor to move the Tokyo Olympics to 2021. “This lull gets to you. I miss watching live sport events even on TV. Sports usually consumes about 20% of my day,“ shared Michael Jaldon, a 41-year-old father of two who is an avid fan of the NBA and the PBA. “I browse the net for news and videos of games. Now, I just content myself with watching replays. It is the only thing satisfying my thirst for sports right now.”
“Three months of no tournaments is very hard on my part because I am earning only from my tennis right now. I am just lucky that I have a sponsor who gives me a monthly allowance,” revealed the 2019 SEA Games doubles gold medalist. Right before different countries locked down their borders, Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno hurdled the Asian and Oceanian Boxing Qualifying event held in Amman, Jordan to book their places in the Olympics. They joined two other Filipinos who already qualified, Carlos Yulo of gymnastics and Ernest Obiena of athletics.
She has climbed to No. 9 in the world this year, but she still needed to be the top Asian in the rankings to earn an automatic ticket to the Olympics. She trained 3 weeks in Serbia to prepare for the Premier League Championships where she could have earned more points to boost her world standing. All karate tournaments from the middle of March onwards have since been canceled.