AN OLYMPIC GESTURE TO THOSE WHO TRULY INSPIRE US
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 18 Aug 2012
Let me tell you a story.
Our Paralympics team is due to leave for London next week, site of the 14th Paralympic Games. They will represent our country in the games following this year?s Summer Olympic Games. They will join athletes from 164 other countries whose physical and intellectual disabilities do not hamper their drive and determination to excel in their chosen sport.
But funds to support their traveling and other expenses is lacking. One veteran sports journalist who swims with them learned of their plight and reached out to some companies based in the country for help.
One of the companies he sought help from is a famous international shoe and apparel brand that has offices and a major plant in the country. But after three days of him sending out a plea for help, the giant athletic brand denied his request.
?Unfortunately, we are focusing our efforts on other events and activities at the moment. As such, we will have to decline your offer for sponsorship," was their reply to his request.
What other event and activity goes beyond this plea for help? Did they even consider their answer to this guy who is volunteering his time and effort to help our Paralympians? Is lending help to our athletes, no our kababayans not worth their so called ?efforts??
More so of them who did not allow their physical and intellectual limitations to restrain them in representing our flag and colors and our country in this friendly international meet.
I find this disturbing and saddening. Is it because our Paralympians are unnamed athletes compared to their superstar endorsers? Is it because they think less of them as athletes? I hope not!
But not all other companies are like them. A local garment company answered the athlete?s sports shirts. One other giant athletic brand provided them with their traveling bags to use for the Games and their trip. Another sports company offered them thirty five percent discount in case the Paralympic team wanted to buy gear from them.
But one considerable donation came not by the way of a company fund but of one?s personal wallet. The journalist then texted his famous friend whom he has known for almost two decades.
He asked him, ?Brod, good morning. Puede ko bang ihingi ng support sa iyo un 9 disabled athletes natin na lalaban sa London Paralympics next. Wala kasi mga gamit pang-biyahe, karamihan sa kanila kasi wala naman sila mga budget. Salamat.?
(Bro, good morning. Can I ask you for support for our 9 athletes who will be competing in the London Paralympics next. They lack personal things for their travel. Most of them have no budget for the trip. Thank you.)
His friend replied in less than half an hour and simply texted back with,?Ok brod, TY.? In less than eight hours, our Paralympic team is a recipient of a 300,000 peso donation from his friend.
No ifs, no buts. No questions from him whatsoever and unlike that giant athletic brand, no excuses at all. It was just pure generosity and kindness from that guy. It was just a pure desire to help his ?fellow? athletes.
It took the helpful journalist less than a day to produce that much needed help for our London bound Paralympians from this guy who sympathized with them.He did not even want any mention of himself after what he did. Compare that to three days of waiting for a request that was eventually denied by that particular multi-national company.
Our athletes appreciated that much needed help and support. ?Masaya po kasi binigyan kami. Malaking tulong po sa amin yun. Kasi may pambili kami ng kelangan namin bago po kami umalis.? (We?re happy because we were given (funds).That is a big help to us. We now have something to use to but things that we need before our trip.) said a member of a team whom I talked to.
Another member of the team hopes that the donation that was given to them will really be used for their expenses and not disappear from their sight. He expressed concerns that the money might not be used for its intended purpose that is to help him and his fellow Paralympians.
The veteran journalist reassured me that he will ask the team?s coach and official for a detailed accounting of where the money went after the games. This, after I relayed to him the concerns of this particular team member.
I wrote this story in hopes that other companies with a vision and generosity to help and that other individuals with kind hearts and the money to spare be inspired and swayed to help the cause of our Paralympic team. It is not too late to lend help. They won?t be London bound till the 24th of August.
They do not ask for much. In fact, they hate begging. They just wanted a little bit of our support be it in material form or not. We owe this to them as our representatives and countrymen.
We owe this to them who inspire us.
Photo: The Philippine Paralympic team poses with Manny Pacquiao.
You may e-mail the author at rrmaze24@yahoo.com
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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