1. Basketball
We know what you're thinking. Yes, basketball receives too much attention already and yes, our natural physical stature will forever be a hindrance towards becoming a true basketball powerhouse.
But we've also had enough of our basketball program relying on granting passports to every Fil-foreigner who has some sort of potential and on some of our locals having to leave the country to receive adequate training.
We're not delusional in thinking we can ever surpass USA and the other European giants in this sport but we're thinking a grassroots basketball program can produce a homegrown team that can consistently compete in the Asian region.
2. Swimming / Diving
We live in an archipelago with some of the best beaches in the world. Heck, we even have entire communities devoted to living a sea-centric lifestyle. We are a water-loving nation and yet we have failed to produce a dominant athlete in swimming or diving in recent memory.
It makes sense for us to train a swimmer because it comes down to basic economics: a fully-funded team of 12 basketball players can only win one championship. One swimmer, as proven by Michael Phelps, can actually win eight medals.
3. Tennis
Tennis, like basketball, is a sport that favors the tall. But it doesn't go to the extent that basketball does where the closer to 7 feet you are, the better. The top three players in the world right now are only listed at 6'1" - 6'2", a height that isn't improbable for Filipino athletes.
Tennis is already a sport that's played in the Philippines more than you would think, with small villages even converting their basketball courts to tennis courts during the weekends. Fellow Asian countries Japan, China, and India have already produced globally ranked tennis players and it might not be too much of a stretch to think that a Filipino might be next.
4. Gymnastics
Great gymnasts start young. So a sports academy that will start training athletes as early as possible will only have positive effects for our gymnastics program. It's a sport where height is not a premium so there's really no excuse for us not to excel at it. It's time we put our kids' Chinese garter and luksong baka training to good use.
5. Weightlifting
Hidilyn Diaz has proven that we can compete in this sport on a global level. But recent events has shown us that the support might not be at the level where we can sustain a weightlifting program consistently. We've long thought that any sport that levels the playing field by having weight classes (like boxing) is a sport where we can compete in and weightlifting happens to be one of them.