Globalization through Sports Competition

There will come a time when science fiction fare, such as commercial space travel and biosynthetic androids, will become part of everyday life.Each generation will also have its dominant industry, from the software and communications magnates of today, to the discoverers and marketers of effective elixirs of tomorrow.Whatever economic giant will control the world in the future, a borderless society is already becoming a reality.Globalization is used to describe the world economy, and how governments and private industries must accept that commerce and cooperation is worldwide.Yet cultural barriers, such as language gaps, religious intolerance, plus the superiority (and inferiority) complexes of some countries, prevent true unity of nations.Something that will never go away, though, has always been sport.

More than anything else, sport has always unified mankind.Those whom I consider my closest friends are fellow athletes, and not just teammates.Teammates become brothers because of the hard training done together.But it is harder to imagine good friends among different nationalities.My swimming competitors from Singapore are examples.In the past, we would meet yearly at swim meets.But outside the battlefield, we were good friends.It has been several years since our fighting days, but there hasn’t been a year without us dropping a line or meeting for a meal, if any of us are in each other’s country.A blood pact emerges from bouts if the jousts are done with total commitment, bravery, fair play, and honor.You cannot help but care for and trust one another when you know you bring out the best in each other through competition.

The Ancient Olympic Games were held to end wars.The spirit of the Olympics, of bringing the world together through healthy athletic competition, is still aflame.This is in spite of politicking, terrorism, and cheating that have put cynicism and even fear in every hosting of an international sporting event.With three days remaining until the start of the South East Asian (SEA) Games, excitement has buried nervousness and anxiety.As the athletes, officials, and media from our neighbors have begun flying in, you can feel the warmth and camaraderie.Many are quickly learning to say Salamat po or Mabuhay.More important, many are gaining new friends.If we ignore the hundreds of millions of pesos spent, the expectations and disappointments, and the VIPs wanting photo opportunities, we will clearly see the vision of all these games:we want peace.

As a Philippine “athletic ambassador,” I’ve had the good fortune of seeing many parts of the world.I’ve collected a roomful of souvenirs, such as a plaque from Japan, banners from Korea, and plenty of pins, T-shirts, jackets, and hats.When we were kids, we were always excited to trade uniforms.The great thing about trading is that neither side minds the material value.Was my handcrafted native bag more expensive than the Polish guy’s parade jacket?It didn’t matter because the idea of trade, of meeting an agreement, was the main purpose.I don’t think APEC meetings on free trade (an oxymoron) end with a lot of agreement.Of course, APEC world leaders don’t barter bags and pennants.But I want to imagine George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao playing ping pong and fully cooperatingin wiping out bird flu.

It may be too late for current presidents and prime ministers to take a cue from sports.But I see hope in our future leaders, especially in two athletes showing great character at a young age.First is 23-year-old Carlo Piccio,a Philippine Olympic swimmer from Bacolod.In the 2003 Viet Nam SEA Games, Carlo unselfishly gave up his chance to qualify for Athens (making it his second Olympiad) by racing in the 1500-meter freestyle, the most grueling event in swimming.He wanted to race because his teammate, Miguel Mendoza, had a chance to win the gold.But Miguel’s rival from Thailand was too good.Therefore, Carlo set a fast pace, bringing the Thai swimmer along with him.This pace exhausted Carlo (and the Thai), and ended his chance for Athens the next day in his main event.Miguel Mendoza eventually won the gold, satisfying Carlo completely because the win was for the team.

The other person is Marichi Gandionco, a 16-year-old Povedahigh schooler, and a Philippine record holder in many swimming events.She hopes to garner goldin the SEA Games, one up from her silver medal performance in Viet Nam two years ago.All determined competitors want to win.Match this desire with talent and dedication, and you have a true champion like Marichi.But her greatest gift isn’t her athletic prowess or potent psychology.Marichi says she is taking on the pressure of winning gold because she wants other countries to see the wonders the Philippines has to offer.It is amazing to see such pride and love for country, and maturity, in a teenager.Hopefully, both Carlo and Marichi are not exceptions to the rule.And (not if but) when they become the ones who run the show, they’ll possess something great to trade:goodwill to all.

Honorable athletes are not exclusive to the Philippines, of course.Thailand has a champion swimmer and Olympian named Ratapong “Nuk” Sirisanont, who, in the 2003 SEA Games, won five gold medals at age 27.This is an old age for swimming, especially for the brutal events(breaststroke and the individual medley) he competes in.Despite his huge success in sports, or maybe because of it, Ratapong is still one of the most humble people you’ll ever meet.That doesn’t mean he is a cake-walk in competition.On the contrary, he is so confident of his abilities that his American coach once said, “Once Nuk focuse on what he wants, nobody can beat him.”But because he is so accessible and modest, and never has an in-your-face attitude, we are inspired instead of turned off.Most important, we all want to welcome Thailand.

The De La Salle Professional Schools, Inc. Graduate School of Business is a member, and current Secretariat, of the ASEAN Graduate Business/Economics Programs Network (AGBEP).The AGBEP annual meeting just ended in Thailand, and key words in the meeting were cooperation and globalization.The warmth and friendships grow with each meeting among AGBEP graduate business schools.The reception given by our Thai hosts was superb, with their giving us guests a closer look at their history, culture, and new technologies.This wasn’t a gesture of one-upmanship.It was sharing.Each sector in society, be it sports, education, business, the arts, church or government, need to work hand in hand in the borderless society we’ll soon have.Each country’s language must be preserved different faiths can still exist various national colors can still fly.But it is time we act to make humanity one.