JAKARTA, Indonesia – Christian Standhardinger has never thought of playing for the national team as a sacrifice until he missed his younger sister Kathrin’s wedding in Germany on Friday, August 24. 

Even if he wanted to go back home for a special family occasion, he has committed to play for Gilas, especially now that the team is set to go up against Korea in the knockout quarterfinal on Monay. 

“I do admit that I got a little emotional yesterday because obviously I was face timing them and obviously you want to be there and hug her when she says ‘Yes I do,’ and you want to see family in stuff like this,” said Standhardinger. 

Instead, the Gilas center-forward made the effort to watch his sister’s ceremony via Facetime. 

“I did watch [her say ‘I do’]. I would like to hug her and hug my mom while we’re watching but that’s just how it is, you know. I feel like a lot Filipinos or the majority of us or most of us, all of us, we are family men and I’m no exclusion there,” added the 29-year-old. 

On the other hand, head coach Yeng Guiao wasn’t aware of the sacrifice his player made for the country. 

“A lot of us have to sacrifice things like those and that’s just proof that these guys really want to represent the country in the best way that they can to the point that they’ll sacrifice such things as important family occasions,” said Guiao. 

“So appreciate that, I didn’t even know about it, he didn’t even tell me about it. That’s even more proof that he just wants to maybe shield myself and the team from worrying about those things.” 

With the huge reinforcement of Jordan Clarkson, Standhardinger is ready to help the team take the win against their long-time bitter opponent, South Korea, on Monday, August 27. 

Read Standhardinger’s full Instagram post here: 

When people talk about making sacrifices for the country it can mean spending extra time investing in meetings or the practice units you have to add to your already packed schedule. It can also mean that you are struggling with a weary body that would rather rest and heal than going to “war” against China, Kazakhstan or South Korea. Sacrificing also means being away from your family and loved ones for a while. In my opinion that is not quite right since at the end of the day you still do what you love to do with your brothers/ teammates and you get so much in return coming from the support of your fellow countrymen and their excitement and energy. You get so much back from seeing hard working Filipinos who choose to see your hard work on the basketball court as motivation and inspiration to keep on moving forward and pushing for a better life or as a welcoming happy break between their hard-working shifts. But today I honestly feel and I sincerely admit it that I made the biggest sacrifice in my national team career for my country. One of my little sisters got married today and she looked absolutely stunning. She is a person with a pure heart and manages to be successful in her job. She is that kind of person who would call me out of the blue asking me “Kuya, are you ok? I just had a weird feeling”. That is what makes her so special and words cannot express how proud I am to see her growing up and becoming the woman she is now, especially her being a soon-to-be-mommy. She chose a great husband who is smart and driven and I am honored to welcome him to our family. I know he will take good care of her. I am deeply sorry I could not be there in person, little sister. I love you from the bottom of my heart and I can’t wait to see you again to give you the hug I was not able to give you today after you said “Yes, I do”. Mahal kita little sis, seeing you today filled my heart with joy

A post shared by Christian Standhardinger (@c.standhardinger) on Aug 24, 2018 at 5:35am PDT

“When people talk about making sacrifices for the country it can mean spending extra time investing in meetings or the practice units you have to add to your already packed schedule. It can also mean that you are struggling with a weary body that would rather rest and heal than going to “war” against China, Kazakhstan or South Korea. Sacrificing also means being away from your family and loved ones for a while. 

In my opinion that is not quite right since at the end of the day you still do what you love to do with your brothers/ teammates and you get so much in return coming from the support of your fellow countrymen and their excitement and energy. You get so much back from seeing hard working Filipinos who choose to see your hard work on the basketball court as motivation and inspiration to keep on moving forward and pushing for a better life or as a welcoming happy break between their hard-working shifts. But today I honestly feel and I sincerely admit it that I made the biggest sacrifice in my national team career for my country. 

She is a person with a pure heart and manages to be successful in her job. She is that kind of person who would call me out of the blue asking me “Kuya, are you ok? I just had a weird feeling”. That is what makes her so special and words cannot express how proud I am to see her growing up and becoming the woman she is now, especially her being a soon-to-be-mommy. She chose a great husband who is smart and driven and I am honored to welcome him to our family. I know he will take good care of her. 

I am deeply sorry I could not be there in person, little sister. I love you from the bottom of my heart and I can’t wait to see you again to give you the hug I was not able to give you today after you said “Yes, I do”. Mahal kita little sis, seeing you today filled my heart with joy.” – Rappler.com