by Ram Maxey
JUDGING by the medal tallies in the ongoing Asian Games being held in the People’s Republic of China, the host country has won more gold, silver and bronze medals than all the rest of the countries entered in the quadrennial sportsfest combined.
Does it mean that the average Chinese is far superior to the average Filipino, Korean, Japanese, Iranian, Jordanian, Malaysian, Indian, etcetera? Perish the thought. Every country that sent athletes to the Games has an equal chance to win medals. The secret of China’s superiority in the number of medals won lies in the NUMBER of people populating that huge country.
With over a billion people to choose from, China naturally has better chances of discovering quality athletes than, say East Timor which has among the smallest populations in Asia. It is the usual numbers game. Certainly, other countries involved in the grand sportsfest held every four years have equally excellent trainers, coaches, etc. who can produce topnotch boxers, swimmers, tracksters, cagers, golfers, tennis players, and all down the line of sports included in the calendar of events.
There are just too many Chinese, plus the added so-called “homecourt advantage” where the roar of the Chinese hordes in the grandstands drown the tiny voices of the few opposing rooters from other countries. It’s just overwhelming, no? Yes.
Which brings us to the point of this piece. China’s huge population is the largest market for consumer products from the outside world. Which brings us to the predicament of Filipino banana growers who have been wringing their collective hands over the fact that they lost 30 percent of their export after Iran reportedly banned the importation of bananas. Although Iran has since then explained that it is not so, really, the scare rattled our banana industry, somewhat.
Elsewhere in this issue is an article on a Davao businessman, one Domingo Ang, who has offered to help small-time banana growers in the region sell their products to mainland China. If only 20 million out of a billion Chinese ate one piece of Filipino banana everyday, think of what that would mean to our small-time banana growers! Now, if we make that fifty million Chinese, or say, 200 million…?
If only Domingo Ang can succeed in inducing his billion “cousins” in mainland China to fall in love with Philippine bananas, think of what that would mean to the industry!
