EUMIR Marcial is the latest athlete to voice his support to EJ Obiena as the embattled Olympic pole vaulter faces a threat of expulsion and criminal charges from the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA).
"Masakit ito para sa kapwa atleta. Hindi pa lamang nagsisimula ang Tokyo Olympics, ipinakita na ni EJ ang kanyang supporta sa akin na kahit alam ko na mayroon din siyang problema. Ngayon, ako naman ang susuporta sa yo," the Olympic bronze medalist said in a Facebook post.
"With the current issue surrounding my fellow Tokyo 2020 Olympian EJ Obiena, I feel that it is only right as a fellow athlete and Olympian that I express my support and collectively ask to show our solidarity with EJ.
"The decision of the PATAFA committee to remove EJ from the national pool, I feel, was some sort of an invalidation of the efforts and sacrifices that EJ has made to bring honor to our country, something that every athlete can strongly relate to.
"This unfortunate situation has affected his focus in his training costing him so much of his time, energy, and resources instead of pouring all his attention to his preparations for his upcoming season and tournaments," he wrote.
Words of encouragement
Marcial also took the opportunity to extend a message of encouragement to Obiena, telling him that he has a lot of allies in his quest to clear his name.
"To EJ, know that many of our countrymen is (sic) standing beside you in this rather wretched fight. Trust that it will all fall into place and God’s favor will be upon you. Mabuhay ka at ang lahat ng atletang Pilipinong lumalaban para mairepresenta at mabigyan ng karapat-dapat na karangalan ang bansa," he ended.
Like Obiena, Marcial found himself at odds with his national association in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics last year.
Complaining about lack of financial support, Marcial clashed with the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP).
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