Sports in the Philippines

Back in the old days, due to lack of exposure to professional sports, the games commonly played by children of the Philippines were very simple. Patintero, Luksong Baka, Chinese Garter, and the most popular game was Langit-Lupa. In the Philippines, these are called _______________. In here, the children had found a recreation to train them physically and mentally to be equipped in professional sports.

"Larong Kalye'' or street games

Bowler Rafael __________________ has been dubbed as the greatest international bowler in history by the Guinness Book of World Records. During his sports career, he has won six World Bowling Championships. In 1999, he became the only bowler ever bestowed the International Olympic Committee President's Trophy.

"Paeng" Villareal Nepomuceno

the Filipino version of martial arts

Arnis (Eskrima)

__________, which is a form of traditional wrestling, combining martial arts techniques

Dumog

Professional pool player ______________ has records that are very hard to beat. The player won more than 70 international titles. He is a four-time World Eight-ball champion, the 1999 World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) Nine-ball champion, a three-time U.S. Open winner, a two-time World Pool League champion, and a 14-time Derby City Classic champion. ______ is dubbed "The Magician" for his exemplary performance on the pool table.

Efren "Bata" Manalang Reyes

One of the greatest Filipino tennis players of all time, _____________, was only 4 foot 11 inches. He is considered to be the shortest ever male competitor at Wimbledon.

Felicisimo Ampon

In the 1960s, every Filipino knew of the name ___________. The professional boxer from Cebu won the world super featherweight title on March 16, 1960, by knocking out then defeating world champion American-Portuguese Harold Gomez in just seven rounds. Inaugurated both as a World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) champion, ________ has opened the door to future champions like Manny Pacquiao.

Gabriel "Flash" Elorde

Weightlifter ________ made history when she went home with the Philippines' first Olympic gold medal in her hands. Earlier in her career, she won a bronze medal in the 2007 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand. She also competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics where she was the youngest competitor in the women's 58-kg category. During the 2016 Summer Olympics, _____ won the silver medal in the women's 53-kg weight division, ending the Philippines' 20-year Olympic medal drought. Last July 26, 2021, _______ won the country's first Olympic gold medal for the women's 55 kg category for weightlifting. ________ has also set the Olympic records for the 55 kg division in the clean and jerk at 127 kg and in the total at 224 kg.

Hidilyn Francisco Diaz

Sprinter _________ was considered Asia's undisputed fastest woman in the 1980s. She first made headlines in the sports industry for her gold medal performances in the 200 and 400-meter SEA Games events. ______ won the gold in the 100 meters at the 1987, 1991, and 1993 SEA Games, she also won both the 100 and 200-meter golds in the Asian Athletics Championships-1983 and 1987. De Vega was also a two-time Olympian, she represented the Philippines at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics. The athlete retired after she joined the track and field event of the 1994 Manila-Fujian games held in October. She won the 100m event.

Lydia de Vega

Professional street skateboarder____________ stole many people's hearts during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. Her positive outlook and pleasing personality brought her name to the headlines of local and international news. _______ ended her Tokyo 2020 Olympics campaign with a seventh-place finish in skateboarding's women's street event. In the 2018 Asian Games, the athlete bagged a gold medal for the Philippines

Margielyn Arda Didal

Equestrienne ___________ is more than just a beautiful face. At the young age of 16, she joined her first international competition at Shizuoka, Japan where she placed third at the individual show jumping event. In the 2002 Asian Games held in Busan, South Korea, _______ won gold in the jumping individual competition and silver for the jumping team.

Mikaela María Antonia "Mikee" de los Reyes Cojuangco-Jaworski

The Philippines is the first Southeast Asian nation to take part and win a medal at the _________.

Olympics

__________ is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. The athlete was the first boxer to win the lineal championship in five varying weight classes—welterweight, lightweight, flyweight, featherweight, and super featherweight. He is also the only boxer to hold world championships across four succeeding decades: in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s.

Pacquiao

a common sport played by locals, has greasy poles with a bag of prizes pinned at the top. Whoever gets the prize in the quickest time wins.

Palo-Sebo

_________ also known as the "Big J", is a former professional basketball player and head coach for the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) and Philippine Basketball Association. Known for his "Never Say Die" attitude on court, _______ is widely regarded as one of the best and most popular PBA players of all time. In 2015, he was included in PBA's 40 Greatest Players. He was also inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2005.

Robert Jaworski

_________, a martial arts sport, which uses feet rather than the hands.

Sikaran

____________ is a native sport with the goal of kicking a ball back and forth until it lands on the floor of the opponent's side.

Sipa ("to kick")

________, a game for two, is played using a wooden block with 16 holes that can hold pieces of pebbles, marbles, or seeds. Two of the holes (called 'heads') remain empty, each player protecting their own 'head.' The winning player is the one who gathers more pebbles in her or his 'head.'

Sungka

___________ was the first athlete from the Philippines to win gold at the Olympics (in 2021).

Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz

Over time, __________ was able to captivate every Filipino's heart. It is the most played and the most popular sport for Filipinos. The Philippine Basketball Association was a league founded in April 1975. The national team, ___________, competes internationally for the country.

basketball; Gilas Pilipinas

Another popular sport in the country is _________ which has produced 38 major world champions in various weight categories. The sport also popularized after the achievements of Manny Pacquiao in the profession.

boxing