Envoys fete Gilas Pilipinas for first Asiad gold in 61 years
By Raymund Antonio and Raymund Antonio
Foreign ambassadors turned to social media on Saturday, Oct. 7, to congratulate Gilas Pilipinas for ending the country’s 61-year Asian Games drought by winning the gold medal against Jordan.
Gilas Pilipinas members pose with their gold medal for men’s basketball during the Asian Games medal ceremony in Hangzhou, China on Oct. 6, 2023. (Photo from Amb. Huang via Facebook)
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian wrote on Facebook a congratulatory message for Gilas Pilipinas’ gold medal victory during the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Friday, Oct. 6.
“Cheering for Gilas Pilipinas, with all the Chinese audience, for winning basketball gold at #HangzhouAsianGames! The amazing performance and the impressive accomplishment is something to be truly proud of, and a memory of a lifetime,” he said in his post.
The envoy also posted a photo of the team on the podium as they flashed the gold medals around their necks.
“As the official motto of the #HangzhouAsianGames “Heart to Heart, @Future” says, this is what sports is all about - excellence, solidarity, respect and friendship!,” Huang added.
French Ambassador to Manila Marie Fontanel also wrote on X (formerly Twitter) about Gilas Pilipinas’ win that could catapult them to a 2024 Paris Olympics berth.
“Congratulations #GilasPilipinas! Gold opens the way to a fantastic journey to #Paris2024 @Olympics #JOP2024 #AsianGames,” she said.
Gilas’ historic win is the first basketball gold medal for the Philippines since 1962 when the legendary Caloy Loyzaga won in Jakarta.
On Friday, Justin Brownlee scored 20 and Ange Kouame had 14 points and 11 rebounds to complete the team’s magical run to the men's 5x5 basketball championship during the 19th Asian Games.