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Sports in the Philippines is an important part of the country's culture.There are seven major sports in thePhilippines:basketball,boxing,tennis,football,billiards,armwrestling andvolleyball.[1]
The top 10 sports in the Philippines:[2]
| # | Sport | Extra information |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basketball | By far the most popular sport in the Philippines. |
| 2 | Boxing | |
| 3 | Volleyball | |
| 4 | Association football | |
| 5 | Badminton | |
| 6 | Tennis | |
| 7 | Swimming | |
| 8 | Taekwondo | |
| 9 | Athletics | |
| 10 | Billiards |
The governing agency for sports in the Philippines is thePhilippine Sports Commission which was created in 1990[3] while theGames and Amusements Board is the government's regulatory body for professional sports in the country.[4]
ThePhilippine Olympic Committee (POC), a private entity is the sports body which represents thePhilippines in international sports competition sanctioned by theInternational Olympic Committee including theOlympic Games. The POC was established in 1975, replacing thePhilippine Amateur Athletic Federation which was founded in 1911. The POC's membership also includes national sports associations (NSAs), organizations which governs a specific sport or discipline in the country. ThePhilippine Paralympic Committee is the POC's counterpart indisabled sports and is a member of theInternational Paralympic Committee.
There are also other alternative sporting bodies such as theFederation of School Sports Association of the Philippines which claims to be the sole governing body for university sports in the country and participates inInternational University Sports Federation (FISU) sanctioned tournaments.
The Philippines has numerous traditional sports that were popular before the colonial era and after the colonial era. Among these arearchery,arnis, horse-riding, fling sports, wrestling sports, dart sports, track sports, and traditional martial arts.
With thesport ofcockfighting being wildly popular in the Philippines, attracting large crowds who bet on the outcome of fights between the birds,[6] and the sport itself a popular form of fertilityworship among almost allSoutheast Asians.[7] Such sports activity as thesport ofcockfighting, related to ritual forms of worship as practices and rituals of ancient worship intended for the blessings of the supernatural, as "in Indus Valley and other ancient civilizations, mother goddess had been invoked for fertility and prosperity"[8] which included that religiouscockfight lay as a prime example of "cultural synthesis of 'little' and 'great' cultures"[9]
Arnis is officially recognized as anational sport as per Republic Act No. 9850 of 2009.[10]
The Philippines has produced more than 40 boxing world champions such asLuisito Espinosa,Donnie Nietes,Gerry Peñalosa, andJohnriel Casimero.
Boxing is among the most popular individual sports in the Philippines. Some Filipino boxers such asNonito Donaire,Gabriel Elorde,Pancho Villa andManny Pacquiao are recognized internationally. TheAmateur Boxing Association of the Philippines is the governing body foramateur boxing in the country.
TheAssociation of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (formerly Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines) (ABAP) is the governing body of amateur boxing in the Philippines. The ABAP's current goal is for the country to win its first ever Olympic gold medal in boxing, to be recognized as one of the world's boxing powers as well as to improve the image of the Philippines abroad.
The country continually produces talented fighters, often in the junior featherweight division (122 pounds and below).The International Boxing Association sanctions amateur (Olympic-style) boxing matches which allows the national amateur boxing athletes of the Philippines to represent the country and compete in regional, continental and international matches and tournaments. The Philippines has currently two silver and three bronze Olympic medals.
Ice skating rinks used as venues for figure skating are limited to shopping malls in the country, particularly in theMetro Manila area. The first ice skating rink in the country was opened in 1992 atSM Megamall inMandaluyong. The first Olympic sized ice skating rink was opened at theSM Mall of Asia. An ice skating rink also operates inSM Southmall. There are more figure skating coaches in the Philippines than ice hockey coaches and the first Filipino ice skating coaches were roller skaters. The Philippine Championship is a national competitive for ice skating in which the winner gets to represent the country in international competitions.[11] The Philippines has also managed to qualify and send a figure skater to the2014 Winter Olympics becoming the first Southeast Asian country to do so at theWinter Olympics. The said figure skater wasMichael Christian Martinez.[12]
Basketball was introduced in the country during theAmerican colonial era and was one of the sports contested at the now defunctFar Eastern Championship Games. Themen's national team has competed in theSummer Olympics making their debut in1936 although they have been absent in the recent editions of the Games.They have also competed in theFIBA World Cup with the country hosting the tournament when it was still known as the FIBA World Championships in1978.Their third-place finish in the1954 edition was their best performance in the tournament. They hosted the2023 edition withJapan andIndonesia.
ThePhilippine Basketball Association is the oldest league in Asia and is the top basketball league in the country. Other rival or smaller leagues in the country are organized. There are college basketball leagues and competitions such as thePhilippine Collegiate Championship. Basketball matches of theUniversity Athletic Association of the Philippines and theNational Collegiate Athletic Association also receives attention.
The country also has a women's basketball team which has competed at theFIBA Asia Women's Championship, as well as men youth team's and3x3 national teams.
TheSamahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (Basketball Federation of the Philippines) is the national sport association of basketball in the Philippines.
Football in the country dates back in the 1890s. Themen's national team of the Philippines played their earlier matches prior toWorld War II againstChina andJapan at theFar Eastern Championship Games. They experience a decline after that period but has since recovered following their stint at the2010 AFF Championship. The country also organizes awomen's national team which has qualified for theFIFA Women's World Cup in2023.
ThePhilippines Football League is the top flight football league in the country. Each club represents their respective cities or provinces. It also helps to promote football awareness and grassroots program to the young Filipino footballers who admire to play professional football.
ThePhilippine Football Federation is the governing body for football in the country.
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The NSA affiliated with the sport is called thePhilippine National Volleyball Federation. Women's volleyball currently enjoys immense popularity[13] primarily due to its growing fan base in theUniversity Athletic Association of the Philippines and theNational Collegiate Athletic Association amateur tournaments.
Internationally, competitors are given the opportunity to represent the country in tournaments such as the Southeast Asian Games as well as the Olympics.
The sport has also seen the development of leagues such as thePhilippine Super Liga,Spikers' Turf and thePremier Volleyball League.
American football is a relatively new sport to the Philippines.ArenaBall Philippines was the first league and lasted from 2009 to 2015. In 2016 thePhilippine-American Football League was founded. The Philippines also organizes amen's national team.
Baseball was introduced in the Philippines by the Americans. The first baseball game in the Philippines was played in September 1898 weeks after the Battle of Manila, a match between Astor Battery led by George Wetlaufer and a regiment from the American Army. From 1899 to 1900, baseball clubs were established by local Filipinos. The sport's introduction aided the American colonial government's assimilation efforts. General Otis planned to eliminate local cockfighting through the introduction of the sport. A baseball league composing of six clubs was established. Then, Governor General William Howard Taft encouraged baseball in the archipelago. Baseball grew to be a popular sport in the country. The national team isPhilippines national baseball team and the governing body isPABA
Rugby league was first played in the Philippines in 2012. ThePhilippines National Rugby League are the governing body and are responsible for the growth ofrugby league in the Philippines. The sport was introduced to thePhilippine Merchant Marine Academy byAustralian expats.[14][15] Clubs have also been established byPapua New Guinean expats and students (where rugby league is their national sport).[16][17][18]
The national team are known as theTamaraws and represents the country in international rugby league competition.
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ThePhilippine Rugby Football Union was founded in 1998 and is the governing body ofrugby union in thePhilippines. There are currently around 12 schools playing rugby union in the Philippines and 10 teams that compete in regular competition. The national team is known as theVolcanoes and competes in theAsia Rugby Championship and theAsian Sevens Series.
The following are the main domestic leagues (orde facto top-flight leagues) in the Philippines.
| League | Sport | Gender | No. of Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Chess Association of the Philippines | Chess | Mixed | 20 |
| Philippine Basketball Association | Basketball | Men | 12 |
| Women's National Basketball League | Basketball | Women | 5 |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Philippines | Esports | Men | 8 |
| Philippines Football League | Football | Men | 10 |
| PFF Women's League | Football | Women | 6 |
| Premier Volleyball League | Volleyball | Women | 12 |
| Spikers' Turf | Volleyball | Men | 6 |
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The Philippines has participated in all editions of the Olympics except in1980 when it joined theAmerican-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics.[19][20] The country is also the first tropical nation to participate at theWinter Olympics, debuting at the1972 edition and has participated in three other edition of the winter games.[21]
The Philippines has also participated in theSummer Paralympics although it has still to make its debut in theWinter Paralympics.
The country won its firstOlympic gold medal at the1988 Summer Olympics withArianne Cerdeña in bowling. However, since bowling was demonstration sport, it did not count in the official tally.[22] The first official gold medal for the Philippines came from the2020 Summer Olympics throughweightlifterHidilyn Diaz.[23] GymnastCarlos Yulo became the country's first multi-Olympic champion after winning two gold medals at the2024 Summer Olympics.
| Event | Appearances | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Olympic Games | 24 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 84th |
| Winter Olympic Games | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Summer Paralympic Games | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 117th |
| Summer Youth Olympic Games | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100th |
| Winter Youth Olympic Games | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| World Games | 12 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 64rd |
| Deaflympics | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Summer World University Games | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 76th |
| Winter World University Games | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Event | Appearances | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Games | 19 | 71 | 116 | 241 | 428 | 12th |
| Asian Winter Games | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8th |
| Asian Para Games | 4 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 65 | 14th |
| Asian Beach Games | 5 | 5 | 10 | 32 | 47 | 22nd |
| Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games | 7 | 8 | 26 | 35 | 69 | 18th |
| Afro-Asian Games | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 15th |
| Asian Youth Para Games | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 24th |
| Southeast Asian Games | 24 | 1,180 | 1,346 | 1,703 | 4,229 | 5th |
| ASEAN Para Games | 12 | 208 | 248 | 307 | 763 | 6th |
| ASEAN University Games | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ASEAN School Games | 10 | 41 | 43 | 105 | 189 | 6th |
The Philippine government organizes multiple national games.
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