Milestones of ’25

There were several highlights in Philippine sports in 2025 and as the year has come to a close, let’s review the top stories that were the most memorable milestones of the past 12 months.

 Hosting five major international events. In 2023, Manila hosted one of three group stages and the entire playoffs of the FIBA World Cup and with over 10,000 tourists visiting the metropolis, the economic impact was estimated to be P17.8 billion from tourism, hospitality and local spending. That opened the eyes of sports officials, both from the private and public sectors, to the benefits of sports tourism, now a focal thrust of the PSC. Last year, Manila staged the FIVB World Men’s Championships, FIFA Women’s World Cup, FIG Junior World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, International Series golf and the World Surf League (WSL) qualifying series 6,000 event, impressing a universal audience of the nation’s capability to host global events of different sports. To ride on the momentum, a WSL longboard international qualifier will be held in La Union on Jan. 20-24 and Rizal Memorial Sports Complex will be the venue for the country’s first-ever WTA 125 tournament on Jan. 26-31. Looking ahead, the Philippines will host the 2029 FIVB Women’s World Championships and PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio has disclosed he’s in talks with Indonesian Sports Minister Erick Thohir for Indonesia and the Philippines to submit a joint bid in behalf of ASEAN for the 2026 Olympics.

• Defying homecourt bias in SEA Games. While the Philippines finished sixth in the gold medal standings, it could’ve been fourth if only the Thai organizers didn’t tweak rules that diminished chances to win more. Still, the Philippines garnered the third most medals and most bronzes to underscore the emergence of high-quality achievers. As POC president Bambol Tolentino said, the Philippines struck paydirt in sports that mattered most, particularly citing the golds in men and women’s basketball, women’s tennis singles, women’s beach volleyball, pole vault and women’s football. Chef de mission Dr. Jose Raul Canlas noted that the Philippines ranked second in terms of percentage of SEA Games gold medals in Olympic sports, a positive sign moving forward to 2028.

• Alexmania captivates the planet. In a magnificent ascent to break into the WTA top 50, Alex Eala has single handedly brought tennis back to the consciousness of Filipino sports fans. She was sensational in mowing down three Grand Slam champions on the way to the Miami Open semis as a wildcard then claimed her first WTA 125 title in Guadalajara. Eala, 20, became the first Philippine netter in the open era to win a Grand Slam main draw singles match at the US Open and ended the year by taking the gold in women’s singles at the SEA Games. With her charisma and eloquence off the court complementing her relentless fury on the court, Eala is now a global icon as a crowd darling wherever she plays.

In tomorrow’s column, we’ll review more sports milestones of 2025.