After five early losses for the Philippine boxing team in the 2018 Asian Games, it was up to their three best bets to try and get an elusive gold. Rogen Ladon, Carlo Paalam, and Eumir Marcial did their very best in the competition only to lose via painfully close decisions to the eventual gold medalists.
They ended with one silver medal and two bronzes, a step back from the four-medal haul in the 2014 edition in Incheon. The Philippines hasn't won a gold medal in boxing since 2006.
"From the sport that I lead, I'm frustrated not by how the boxers performed, but how the results were judged," said Philippine Olympic Committee president Ricky Vargas.
"When boxing presidents and athletes come to your dugout saying that you won, it gives you a sense that injustice has been done. When the crowd from Indonesia and some from Thailand were cheering for the Philippines, then there must have been something wrong that had happened."
The Philippine boxing contingent disagreed with the results of their final three matches. Paalam lost 3-2 to India's Amit. Marcial dropped a similar 3-2 decision to Uzbekistan's Israil Madrimov, even if he scored a standing 8-count in the third and connected with the best punches in the fight. Ladon fell victim to a nasty head butt and lost a 3-1-1 decision despite landing the better punches in Round 1.
Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines executive director Ed Picson echoed Vargas' thoughts regarding the decisions.
"We cannot protest. That's the rule here. Protests are not allowed so we have no other choice but to accept the decisions even if we disagree with them," he said after Ladon's silver-medal finish.
"We've had a lot of strange things happening here not just in the Philippine team but many other teams. It's very sad that it has come to this. We've talked to officials of other countries and they're upset as well. It's atrocious," he added.
Picson, however, remains hopeful for the future of the Philippine boxers.
"What will keep them going after dealing with this are their dreams," he said. "Fortunately for us, this is a tough batch of boxers. Of course, they're dejected right now because they were not only robbed of victories, they were also stripped of an opportunity to a better life. Their families were hopeful that their win here could get them out of poverty but the judges snatched that away from them but I think this will only make them train and fighter harder."