WHETHER the Philippine Fencing Association (PFA) admits it or not, Maxine Esteban’s change of nationality is not only a sore point but, quite frankly, a blackeye.
That is why in an attempt to defend itself and “set the record straight,” the PFA somehow created another, maybe more troubling, issue: pitting one athlete against another.
Though it may be true that Sam Catantan fared better against Maxine Esteban in more competitions that they played against each other which was—competitions budgeted for by the PFA and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)—it was never the topic to begin with.
It was never Catantan vs. Esteban.
Before her naturalization to the Ivory Coast, Esteban lamented what she called a “lack of respect” from the federation that led to her departure.
“Sometimes, we must give ourselves enough respect to walk away from something that doesn’t value our worth," she rued. "I want everyone to know that I did everything humanly possible to fulfill this long-time dream with the Filipino flag sewn on my uniform.”
But, remember, it was never Catantan vs. Esteban.
Even the PFA admitted that Esteban garnered points “by laudably using her private resources to compete in more overseas tournaments than what the PFA’s limited budget allowed.”
And the foilist from Ateneo was driven to chase an Olympic dream that no one could and should deny.
Yes, the PFA might've felt compelled to compare Catantan to Esteban given that both compete in the same category of foil.
It is also unfortunate that given the rules of the International Fencing Federation (FIE), only one fencer from each country can represent a category for the Olympic slots.
And in the end, they opted to go with Catantan over Esteban.
Making that hard decision, however, did not have to mean neglecting one over the other, or anyone over others for that matter.
Again, it was never Catantan vs. Esteban.
Since moving last year, Esteban has represented the Ivory Coast and is now bound for the Paris Olympics later in the year as the top-ranked athlete from Africa.
The Philippines, meantime, is still in pursuit of its delegate.
The ill-timed statement of the PFA to address the “lingering issues that have adversely affected the morale and cohesion of the Philippine national fencing team” just didn’t cut it.
Esteban may no longer represent the Philippines, but those who stayed, Catantan included, remain her sisters for life, after going through the trenches together in search of the gold.
At the end of the day, when the competition is over they are all still friends.
Again, it was never just Catantan vs. Esteban.
Sports shows us two sides of the coin: one puts premium on the pursuit of excellence through competition between and among the best of the best; the other puts the spotlight on sportsmanship between the best competitors.
By doing what it did, the PFA achieved neither. Instead, it pushed the tip of the blade in an already bleeding wound deeper.
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