I was on my work today when I was reminded by a radio show host of a question I’ve also asked myself so many times before, but was too lazy to find out the answer to — why haven’t we been able to nail our first gold medal in the Olympics?

I’ve got a few answers for you.

1. Bowling and Billiards are considered “games”, not sports.
2. Manny Pacquiao won’t be slugging it out inside the ring anytime before November.

If professionals can’t compete in the Olympics, why is Dwight Howard allowed to compete against humans are NBA players allowed to suit up for their respective countries? Heck, even the stars of the recent Wimbledon final will get the chance to go at it once again.

You think of the world’s greatest international bowler, and you’ll realize that his best years are already over. Even if you pull a kid out of school and ask him to bowl for the rest of his life, it’s not guaranteed that he’ll come close to the 6 World Championships that Paeng has won for our country.

Efren. Django. Amang. Pangalan palang alam mong sila sila lang magkikita sa huling mesa eh. And yet, billiards is not even considered a sport. The frustration makes you want to throw in the towel even before the 9 ball is put in its final resting place. What skills make archery different from billiards?

There’s no doubt about the Filipino athlete’s capabilities to excel on a world stage. Time and again, the people mentioned above have proven that. It’s just an unfortunate coincidence that all these people are either years past their prime, unable to compete, or simply content with carrying our flag instead of pummeling opponents inside the boxing ring.

*I apologize for the ignorance, but really — why can’t Pacquiao join the Olympics?