Enthusiasm Knows No Gender

SPORTS EDITORIAL

NIEL ZSUN JOHN VEGA

From a female weightlifter, boxer, skateboarder, and now a football team, for young girls wishing to explore their passions in sports that might not be ‘in line’ with their gender, signify the beginning of endless horizons. Underrated, you may call it but in a world of sport where He dominates, She consistently takes control in order to achieve triumphs and even break down boundaries between both genders. Olympic medalists Hidilyn Diaz and Nesthy Petecio advanced over their storied outcomes when they took titles in stereotypically masculine sports. These victories coming from our Filipina Olympians in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics proved that women don’t have to let society dictate what’s right for them.

To indulge in a male-dominated event, passion and drive might not be enough– you must have a strong call to fight distinction and inclusion. The first step in challenging socially imposed gender norms and binary ideas of masculinity and femininity may be to recognize the female athlete paradox and the challenges that sportswomen face. By developing new conceptions of what gender-

appropriate actions might entail, female participation in athletics offers a chance to reevaluate the implications of masculinity and femininity in society. Margielyn Didal, a Filipina skateboarder, won fans’ hearts, and the Philippine women’s football team, also known as ‘Malditas’, recently experienced their first taste of FIFA World Cup. In both cases, a woman was present in a traditionally masculine event. These athletes used their time in the spotlight to take pride in their identities rather than letting conventional gendered notions of sports stop them from following their passions and delivering everything they had for their country.

Meanwhile, our institution, Mindanao State University –General Santos City (MSU-GSC) takes pride in the presence of sportswomen in varsity teams and the equal support they have from the Sports Development Office (SDO) in accordance with the male athletes. While some people are utilizing the sustenance they have, SDO should take action as others yearn for facilities and equipment that are paramount to their development as this institution’s

athletes. Only if their requirements are met will these exploits result in more triumphs and awards for our athletes at subsequent events, regardless of their gender.

The seal of approval towards female athletes can only be attained if their conditions are also met by the institution they are in, by participating in sports which provides them the chance to test themselves in a sphere from which they may feel excluded, women might gain a feeling of security and confidence that they had never before experienced.

As more women attempt to define their roles in athletics, they may actually experience a sense of liberation rather than oppression by seeing themselves and their bodies as strong and free from male dominance. Filipina sporting icons in Hidilyn, Nesthy, Margielyn, and Malditas, continue to conquer obstacles related to their gender and redefine what it means to be a sportswoman, which is a first step in challenging hegemonic femininity. Their contribution in reforming the views towards women athletes is vital to the respect they have embodied in today’s modern world.