By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Executive Board suspended the national sports associations (NSAs) of athletics and tennis during its special meeting Thursday.
POC President Bambol Tolentino said the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) was suspended for its non-compliance with an order from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to amend its charter and hold a new election.
The ITF has suspended Philta in late 2020for non compliance with the world tennis body’s instruction of amending its charter and fresh elections to select a truly representative set of board members.
The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa), meanwhile, was also suspended for failing to serve its purpose as an NSA, particularly its “dedication and commitment toward the development of the sport, promoting the ideals of the Olympic Movement and the spirit of sportsmanship.”
This involved Patafa’s ongoing rift with world-class pole vaulter EJ Obiena, whom the NSA refused to endorse in several high-ranking tournaments including the world indoor championships.
Patafa has also not included Obiena in its roster for the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam in May.
The suspension will be effective for 90 days and will be ratified by the POC General Assembly during its regular meeting on March 30. If ratified, both Patafa and Philta will not have any authority over their national teams to the SEAG.
The suspensions will also give the POC direct supervision over Philta and Patafa’s national athletes, coaches and sporting officials, while financial matters will be under the control of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Nine members of the board voted for the suspension, while two — Charlie Ho of netball and Cynthia Carrion gymnastics abstained.
POC Chairman Steve Hontiveros and International Olympic Committee Representative to the Philippines Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski were absent from the special board meeting.
Tolentino said both suspensions could be dismissed sooner than their terms.
“If Philta complies with the ITF order, and the ITF accepts Philta’s compliance, the suspension of the tennis association will be lifted immediately,” he said.
“And if the PSC’s mediation effort over Patafa and EJ (Obiena) is completed and ironed out, its suspension will also be lifted.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Bong Go, Chair of the Senate Committee on Sports, reiterated the committee’s campaign on helping resolving the issue between Obiena and Patafa “to protect the welfare of our athletes in a fair manner and in accordance with our rules.”
“Rest assured that we will appropriately act on the motion to cite Patafa in contempt for filing an arbitration case despite ongoing mediation proceedings as agreed upon during the Committee Hearing held last Feb. 7 for the parties involved to amicably settle their differences,” Go said in a statement.
“In the spirit of fairness, the Committee on Sports will issue a show cause order to the Board of Directors of PATAFA on why they should not be cited in contempt. After which, we will have another hearing to decide on the next course of action.”
Go pleaded to parties involved to set aside personal interests and resolve the issue for the benefit of the country.
“Huwag na sana haluan ng pulitika ang sports dahil walang panalo sa hidwaan na ito. Dahil sa hindi pagkakaunawaan ng magkabilang panig, ang sambayanang Pilipino ang talo,” Go said.
