Keeping it up: How Philippine sports can build off historic 2024 golden run

Carlos Yulo sparked a fire in Philippine sports at a scale never before thought possible.

If that statement immediately comes off as hyperbolic or outlandish, then it has given off its desired effect, because it is as unbelievable as it is momentous.

That unassuming, diminutive, and now-polarizing icon is now the picture of everything Philippine sports stands for: always the underdog, yet always unpredictable. Yulo, like Hidilyn Diaz prior, gave a loud statement to the world that not only Filipinos are here to win, they are here to win again and again.

But any fires, like literal ones in campgrounds or like the metaphorical blazes of a revolution, must be stoked and cared for so they may continue burning.

Philippine sports in 2024 was historic, yes, but how can 2025 do just as well?

Nourish the roots

Every single Filipino athlete, even Carlos Yulo and Hidilyn Diaz, came from a muted, unheralded background of some sort, quietly honing their craft in the hope of making it big someday.

This is the persistent scene that unfolds in the annual Palarong Pambansa, where thousands of the country’s brightest prospects come together in a chaotic, exhausting, yet ever-rewarding two-week athletic extravaganza.

Sporting venues of that year’s host, whether Marikina, Cebu, Ilocos, or wherever else deemed fit, are literally littered with young athletes either recovering, training, or just waiting for the next competition proper.

If you look hard enough, there you can find standout gems like star gymnast Elaiza Yulo of the same iconic Yulo lineage, swimmers TJ Amaro and Jasmine Mojdeh, and the Bacolod Tay Tung women’s volleyball team.

Further down the lines of Palaro royalty like the aforementioned are unsung heroes with their incredible tales like trackster Asia Paraase, the Caraga wrestling team, javelin thrower Charles Turla, para athlete phenom Zedrick Sario, and many, many more just waiting to be discovered.

Without the need to further dramatize, the next Carlos Yulo — much like Carlos himself — may be just around the corner at one of these grassroots events, and the public and the government must do their part to further support and promote these young sporting wonders.

Shock the world

The title is a play on the famous Kai Sotto ‘ginulat ang mundo’ meme, but the point stands.

The Philippines must indeed shock the world in 2025 and beyond, to prove to international audiences that it is truly ready for bigger achievements in sports, and that sports is a real priority for the country.

That goal may and should be achieved in the Philippines historic solo hosting of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship, which will feature 32 of the world’s best teams, including host Alas Pilipinas, in elite displays of spiking and defensive prowess from September 12 to 28.

In the months leading up to the event, the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) and the uber-passionate Filipino fan base must come together to promote the sport to casual viewers, driving the point home that this is the equivalent of basketball’s FIBA World Cup in scale and importance.

Wins may not come just yet for the developing Alas Pilipinas men’s team against established world-beaters, but at this point, a successful hosting with respectable crowd turnouts is just as big of a win for the host nation, which can soon say it is no longer just a basketball country.

Build off real, non-moral victories

While Philippine volleyball is still in a tender state of expansion, Philippine basketball has moved above and beyond that stage.

No longer your friendly neighborhood source of feel-good tales, Gilas Pilipinas has entered a stage of world-class contention, having marked the Tim Cone era in 2023 with its first Asian Games gold medal in 61 years, then following up in 2024 with its first win against a European team in 64 years.

Up ahead is another stacked calendar for the national team, including the final window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in February, and the Asia Cup proper in August.

Circling back to the point of stoking proverbial fires, Gilas must prove its big wins in years prior were no flukes, and here comes a perfect proving ground, with the Philippines not having won an Asia Cup in 40 long years.

Still bannered by the likes of Justin Brownlee, Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, and Scottie Thompson — a healthy mix of veterans and young guns — Gilas is a force to finally be reckoned with on the world stage, but now it must prove it truly deserves such a distinction.

Ride the golden SEA wave

Capping the 2025 Philippine sports calendar in a big way is the biennial Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, this time to be held in powerhouse nation Thailand from December 9 to 20.

Once again, the Philippines is coming in as a dark horse contender, expected to dive in a gold-medal war with Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and like in years past, it must again take full advantage of a star-studded contingent.

Even for icons like Carlos Yulo, Hidilyn Diaz, and EJ Obiena, no competition should be too small for them to compete in, as their mere presence can very well serve as a galvanizing point for Filipino athletes to remind themselves of what this year, and every year, should be about: proving the world they can, too.

The mere expectation that these stars can win gold medals in their sleep should be the perfect reason to keep representing the country in these regional tilts and ideally not an escape plan, especially coming off a 2023 campaign where the Philippines got its most golds in a non-hosting capacity in 36 years.

Don’t forget about the rest

Every sport with achieving Filipinos deserves its own share of the spotlight, and in 2025, there remains plenty out there that deserve airtime, like the men’s national football team coming off a promising Mitsubishi Cup campaign, and the Filipinas football squad, the reigning ASEAN Football champions.

The women’s futsal team will also play as host of the 2025 FIFA Futsal World Cup, marking a rare time the Philippines hosts a FIFA event. The women’s softball team also remains a world powerhouse and is set to defend its SEA Games championship for the first time since winning it at home in 2019.

We can go on and on about teams and athletes to watch out for in 2025, and that’s exactly the point. The Philippines continues to be chock-full of world-class sporting talent, many of whom are just now getting the support and attention they truly deserve.

This year, the fire continues to burn. The fire will continue to rise. – Rappler.com