PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino called for a ceasefire between Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) officials and top medal hope Eumir Marcial with less than two months before the Olympics fire off in the Japanese capital of Tokyo.
Tolentino said it’s the worst time to throw accusations at each other when the focus should be the country’s coming campaign in the quadrennial meet.
After the Tokyo Games, the POC chief hopes to get Marcial and the ABAP hierarchy under president Ricky Vargas to sit down and talk.
“Ganun talaga ang message ko. Focus muna tayo sa Olympics. Tsaka na natin pag-usapan yun after the Olympics,” said Tolentino on Tuesday in the weekly online version of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.
“With the Olympics fast approaching, ceasefire muna tayo. Para wala munang damage or what. Para sa bayan muna ang isipin natin.”
Marcial, 25, is currently in Dubai with the Philippine boxing team for the ASBC Men and Women’s Boxing Championships.
But prior to his departure, he and ABAP figured in a very public spat that centered on the financial assistance being received by the middleweight fighter as he prepares for the Olympics.
“No comment muna tayo diyan, focus muna tayo sa Olympics,” said the representative from the 8th district of Cavite.
“Huwag muna natin palakihin yung apoy. Ilang linggo na lang yan (Olympics), para hindi muna masira yung direksyon natin. After Olympics natin pag-usapan yan.”
Tolentino, also president of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (Philcycling), said he’s looking to ask the various National Sports Associations (NSAs), especially those with athletes who already qualified or are expected to qualify for the Olympics, to refrain from discussing internal issues.
“I might announce that appeal on the (POC) General Assembly na hindi timely yung ganyang mga issues dahil malapit na ang Olympics,” said the POC chief.
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.
