The Olym-unpictured

As some of us know, TV5 and One Sports are the official broadcasters of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. These two free TV channels will broadcast games live daily. Guido Zaballero, the Cignal Marketing Head, stated that the free TV coverage will be focused on our Filipino athletes, some gold medal matches, and relevant sports and events. However, Filipinos say otherwise.

Just last week, broadcasters interrupted the free broadcast multiple times, and allotted hours each day just to air cockfights (known as “sabong”) and the usual local basketball games (PBA). It was a struggle for many Filipinos to find local channels showing the Olympic games for free. Because of this, many Filipinos have resorted to watching the games online through other countries’ broadcasting sites with the use of VPNs, and paying just to watch a few matches because of the lousy coverage and inconsistent scheduling of the games. The Olympic coverage by the Philippines is abysmal! Those who are fans of the Olympics and those who simply just want to support and witness our Filipino athletes play cannot do so. There's not a single channel on free TV that is airing the events live, and we all have to settle for delayed telecasts.

Many netizens on Twitter described the Philippine Olympic coverage as “horrible” and “disappointing.” Some were even completely oblivious to the fact that the Olympics were even happening!

As it turns out, this isn't just a current problem. Complaints of the minimal Philippine Olympic coverage dates back to the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. This has been happening for a long time now. Minimal coverage of our Filipino athletes in sports other than basketball, means minimal interest in sports in general. It is a bit odd how TV channels in the Philippines cancel regular morning news and primetime shows to stream beauty pageants, but we can't seem to do the same for our sports. How are we going to inspire our children and ignite their interests in sports when our government and broadcasters don't share the same sentiments?

Weightlifter, Hidilyn Diaz recently won the first olympic gold medal for the Philippines. This gives the possibility of more victories. Her victory would have tasted a lot sweeter if we all would have witnessed it on live TV, instead of seeing snippets around social media. It is high time that live coverage not just for the Olympics, but other international sports events will be improved in the future. We have been settling for far too long. Our athletes deserve better. We deserve better.