THE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) included Asia’s No. 1 men’s pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena in Team Philippines’ entry by names list that that will be submitted to organizers of the Vietnam 31st Southeast Asian Games.
Obiena was one of 654 athletes who will defend the the overall championship for Team Philippines in the biennial meet that Vietnam will be hosting from May 12 to 23.
“EJ’s name must be there,” POC president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said on Friday, adding efforts are being undertaken by the POC to have Obiena compete in the SEA Games where he’s a cinch for a gold medal.
Obiena’s Asian record of 5.93 meters is way above the SEA Games standard of 5.45m he himself set during the 2019 Games that the Philippines hosted.
But Obiena’s rift with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association has led to Patafa denying his request for endorsement to the world indoors in Belgrade, which he will miss as the deadline for entry passed last Monday, as well as the Vietnam SEA Games, world championships in Oregon in July and the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September.
'Frustrating and disappointing'
“It’s both frustrating and disappointing if we don’t see EJ setting a new SEA Games record in Hanoi,” Tolentino said. “Logic plays a major role here for the need to include him in the SEA Games list, this is sports and he’s a national sports pride.”
The POC, Tolentino said, has written World Athletics, the sport’s world governing body headed by running legend Sebastian Coe, on Obiena’s predicament.
A similar case happened in 1985 when the POC had to intervene on behalf of former Asia track queen Lydia de Vega over her inclusion in the national team for the Asean Cup the country hosted at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The late Governor Jose Sering was then the acting Patafa president in lieu of the suspended Michael Keon. De Vega refused to join the national team training at Teachers Camp in Baguio City and was chastised by her national sports association.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
