Ernesto Nodado III

When it comes to sports, gender stereotyping is no stranger at all. Filipino norms would say that a man should join and excel in ‘manly’ sports like basketball, boxing, and weightlifting, while a woman is expected in ‘feminine’ events like gymnastics and volleyball. These existing gender expectations poorly overshadow opportunities for other Filipino athletes to showcase their A-game to the world.

Cartoon By J Paul Laraya.

However, it is about time that Philippine society should change its way of seeing and appreciating sports because winning knows no limit. A female can win a male-dominated sport and vice versa. Gender should not matter in winning in sports, but the spirit of a true champion does. 

Carlos Yulo served as a prime example by winning the country’s double Olympic gold medal in his pet events floor exercise and vault events in gymnastics, last August 3 and 4. Elegance and fluidity are some traits a gymnast should possess to execute a successful routine in which if sporting stereotypes would suggest, a woman best fits this sport. But what the Golden boy showed us is that dedication and skill is all it takes to challenge the notion that gymnastics is a ‘feminine’ sport. 

Filipino women athletes also made ‘herstoric’ breakthroughs in the fields expected to be dominated by men. Olympic flashback would also bring us to anot gold medal finish by weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In a sport traditionally dominated by men, she proved that strength and resilience can also be portrayed by a woman as she did not just carry a gold-winning 224 kg, but the weight of a whole country to its first-ever top podium finish in the quadrennial meet. Moreover, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas proved to everyone that a woman can also throw her banging fists, arguably stronger than some men, after winning bronze medals apiece in boxing recently in Paris. 

Others may argue that gender stereotypes exist due to the physical differences between genders such as muscle mass and strength in males and poise and elegance in females. Biologically, it would be difficult for a gender to play out of the set playing field because of its nature of play. However, regardless of gender, the reality in sports is that the road to winning comes along with challenges and failures. 

Both Filipino Olympic champions both attest on how winning and bringing home glory to the country that sports has no boundaries despite established gender stereotypes. That their win and other Filipino athletes’ send a message for the Philippine sports scene.
It serves as a call for all aspiring athletes out there to shrug off preconceived notions in sports and go beyond expectations - of themselves and of society’s. A reminder that anyone can thrive in greatness, regardless of gender and the traditions of their event, with skills and will being the topmost key to success. 

As Filipinos, we should also engage and support in other sporting events to increase its recognition in society. Enough with women’s volleyball and men’s basketball alone. Explore other events and sports like women’s basketball, men’s volleyball, athletics, and gymnastics as other Filipino talents still remain unseen. Our mentality should not be bound to the gender stereotypes as it not only undermines the work ethic and accomplishments of athletes but also perpetuates outdated notions that limit the opportunities and recognition. 

Ultimately, greatness in sports is a universal quality, and embracing this perspective ensures that all athletes are given the recognition and opportunities they deserve. Breaking gender expectations in sports opens to thousands of opportunities to talents that are not given a slither of daylight to grow. Also, it sets a bright future for the country’s campaigns in international sporting events, and may increase our odds of winning gold medals.

For what’s worth, gender is not a metric of greatness in sports, but an athlete’s thirst for glory is what matters most.