GOODBYE, 2022. Hello, 2023.

With the sports world now back in full swing after being sidelined by the threat of the coronavirus pandemic for almost three years, 2023 promises to be another blockbuster year in sports.

Less than two years after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz ended the country’s 97-year gold medal drought during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the Filipino sports fans are hoping 2023 will be a lot more spectacular in many ways.

This year, we all hope that there will be more triumphs than setbacks and more cheers than jeers in the wonderful world of sports.

As we always say in sports, we’d like to see more of the good and less of the bad.

Here are three things we’d like to see in sports in the new year.

1. With the Filipino athletes facing an even busy year in the sports calendar, we hope to see the new sports leaders appointed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to head the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to work in harmony with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), headed by Tagaytay Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

The FiIlipinos did it successfully in the past with Tolentino and former PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez working in tandem to deliver the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and overall championship in 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila.

With no less than President Marcos vowing to support the Flipino athletes all the way to the 2024 Paris Olympics, there’s no excuses that our high-ranking sports officials in the PSC and POC can’t do it.

And with the right support and proper motivation, the Filipino athletes can now focus on what they do best from training to actual competition.

2. In the wonderful world of sports, it’s always the case of the more, the merrier.

Last year, we have a lot of sports heroes whose achievements in their respective disciplines made all of us proud to be Filipinos.

We have Diaz, who cemented her status as one of the world’s greatest weightlifters by winning the IMF World Weightlifting Championships in Bogota, Colombia to add to her golden triumphs in the Olympics, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games.

We have Ernest John Obiena, who made the country proud by rising to become the world’s third-best active men’s pole vaulter, as per the World Athletics.

We also have Caloy Yulo, who clinched a silver medal in the men’s vult and bronze in the parallel bars at the 51st FIG Artistic World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool, England last November and secured his first-ever Asian Championship title with the gold medal at the floor exercise of the 2022 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar last June.

We have Alex Eala, who ruled the 142nd US Open junior girls singles championship with a masterful 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Lucie Havlickoba of Czech Republic in Flushing Meadows, New York last September.

We have Junna Tsukii, who captured the gold medal in the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama with a sensational victory over world No. 2 Yorgolis Salazar of Venezuela last June.

We have Carlo Paalam, who bagged the gold medal in the ASBC Asian Elite Men and Women Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan last November..

We also have Paeng Nepomuceno, who captured three gold medals in the Asian Seniors bowling championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last November; and newly-minted IM Efren Bagamasbad, who rose to prominence by topping the Asian Seniors Championship with six wins and three draws in Auckland, New Zealand last October.

And we also have Aleia Aielle Aguilar, who made history by becoiming the youngest world jiu-jitsu champion at five years old following her triumph in the World Jiu-Jitsu Champonship in Abu Dhabi, UAE last November.

This year, we surely expect to see more Filipino athletes making their presence felt in the world stage.

3. The Philippines is hosting the 19th FIBA Basketball World Cup on Aug. 25-Sept.10 and avid Filipino basketball fans couldn’t ask for more.

And while this is already the second time that the country is hosting the blue-ribbon event, the prestigious competition is expected to attract the world’s top players, including NBA superstars.

The tournament will also serve as qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics, where the top two teams from each of the Americas and Europe, and the top team from each of Africa, Asia and Oceania, will qualify alongside host France.

It could even be declared a “National Basketball World Cup” year for the entire basketball-loving nation, depending on President Marcos.

And Filipino basketball fans surely hope — and pray — that Gilas Pilipinas would make the country proud with their performances against the world’s bests.

A win or two against the world super powers will surely put the smile back on the faces of Filipino basketball fans still heart-broken by a shocking defeat to Indonesia in the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam last May.

We can dream, can’t we?

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