People see the Asian Games as an opportunity for athletes all over Asia to compete against each other. Along the way, friendships will be formed between different nationalities brought about by mutual respect gained through competition.
An area that may sometimes be overlooked is the fact that for many Filipino athletes, this is one of the very times that they can talk to athletes from other sports, share their experiences, and even lend each other their support.
During a crucial game against Chinese Taipei in softball, members of the men's basketball team showed up to support the Blu Girls. After winning her gold medal, Hidilyn Diaz jumped from venue to venue, watching and cheering for her fellow Filipino athletes. Throughout the 18th Asian Games, Filipinos have shown they're more than willing to help out other Filipinos.
When Rogen Ladon suffered a cut on his right eyebrow, his coaches wanted to make sure it would not hamper him from performing at his best. They did their best to stop the bleeding but a suggestion was made by Philippine Sports Commission head doctor Randy Molo to find a topical skin adhesive as an extra precaution.
The boxing coaches, including Sports Psychology Consultant Marcus Jarwin Manalo, looked for it all over the city of Jakarta. They scoured standalone pharmacies and those in big malls. They must have visited over a dozen shops but they weren't able to find the skin adhesive they needed.
This was when Manalo decided to try crowdsourcing as he asked for the help of a few volleyball players he had worked with before who have an extensive following on social meda.
It did not take long before they got a message from an Indonesian who just so happened to be a Mika Reyes fan that he'll be sending the skin adhesive to the Athletes Village. It was delivered in 20 minutes and payment was refused.
When Ladon saw Reyes at the village, he approached her to say thanks and have a picture taken.
When Ladon faced Azat Mahmetov of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinal, he knew his opponent had a target but he did not let it bother him. Ladon was aggressive throughout the fight, not even minding the gash above his eye. He landed solid combinations and dominated the fight even though the judges only gave him a split-decision nod.
Did the topical skin adhesive work perfectly? No, it didn't. The cut was reopened in the first round and Ladon's corner did a masterful job of patching him up and making sure the blood did not affect his vision throughout the match.
So what did it do? Surely it helped. The bleeding in the first round could have been worse without it. Maybe Ladon had more confidence that the wound would not be reopened because of it. Maybe he was able to focus on his game-plan by not paying attention to it. Or maybe it was just a great feeling to know that other Filipino athletes have his back.
Though it may be true that basketball and volleyball are the two most popular squads in the Philippine contingent, barriers were broken when athletes marched together as one during the opening ceremony. All Filipino athletes are part of only one team and it is comforting to know that some of those in the spotlight are more than willing to share that light with fellow athletes who deserve more support and attention.