Tuesday, July 5, 2022
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Sports Sports Columns

Obiena’s case shocking

Lito CincobyLito Cinco
January 5, 2022, 7:45 pm
in Columns, Sports, The Bottom Line by Lito Cinco
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
89
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

I have long been involved with Philippine sports, with over four decades of writing experience about personalities and situations, but I have to admit, the current EJ Obiena vs PATAFA case is shocking.

For the unfamiliar, EJ is the country’s top pole vaulter. He crashed out of the medal standings in the Tokyo Olympics, but is currently ranked no. 3 based on last year’s World Athletics Championships.

PATAFA is the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, headed by its president Philip Ella Juico, presently embroiled in a battle not only with EJ, but with the Philippine Olympic Committee as well, having declared him as a persona non grata, which means “walang utang na loob” in Filipino, if am not mistaken.

And the POC even went further by announcing its non recognition of Juico as the head of the track and field National Sports Association.
PATAFA has retaliated by moving against EJ and supposedly will drop him from the national team, aside from announcing its own persona non grata onEJ’s benefactor and long-time sports patron Jim Rafferty.

Bone of contention by PATAFA against EJ is that the athlete is guilty of estafa in the amount of 6000 euros, allegedly not paid to EJ’s coach.

ADVERTISEMENT

Further developments did show that payments to said coach were delayed, but eventually settled.

And that should have been the end of the brouhaha. But unfortunately, the plot has even thickened further with subsequent developments on both sides.

People now await for the position that the Philippine Sports Commission, headed by Chairman Butch Ramirez, will take with the contrasting sides of the POC and PATAFA with regard to EJ.

PSC, the country’s funding agency for sports and the national athletes, is caught in between the two camps, each one with valid points for their respective arguments. Fact is, the PSC has offered to mediate the issue between the two parties. The PATAFA agreed, but Obiena refused.

We also do not know how the international federation for track and field will react to the current situation. Will it interfere or treat the case as an internal matter, which may also be the same position that the International Olympic Committee will take?

Sports fans are overwhelmingly in favor of embattled athletes even in the past, with online comments from netizens critical of Juico and the PATAFA.

In the past, we have seen athletes battling it out with their respective NSAs, as far back as Lydia de Vega against Mike Keon, or was it Tatang de la Vega vs. Mike?

The biggest case, however, was in chess with Wesley So, hurt by his NSA’s non-recognition of his gold medal finish in the World Universiade.

He then decided to move to the United States and started playing under the American flag in international competitions.

This is the same situation we might eventually see in the case of EJ as other countries, I believe, will be more than willing to adopt an athlete of his caliber, with Philippine sports losing in the end.

Now you may ask, what is my personal take on the matter?

Even in the past, my tendency is to go with the athlete.

In this EJ vs PATAFA case, it is the same. I certainly do not believe that an NSA should end up taking this kind of action against an athlete, particularly world-class athletes that we should be developing and not turning away.

EJ may have committed some administrative lapses in managing his training funds resulting to delays in payments, but then, an athlete’s job is not to manage funds, but to focus solely on his training to get better and better.

The PATAFA I believe has over reacted to the circumstances of the situation and went overboard instead of trying to keep resolve things together and work internally.

Now, in the event we do end up losing EJ, no matter how PATAFA rationalizes it, sports fans will lay the blame on them. Period.

Tags: EJ ObienaPhilippine Athletics Track and Field AssociationPhilippine Olympic CommitteeWorld Athletics Championships
ADVERTISEMENT
Lito Cinco

Lito Cinco

Related Posts

Filipinas in ‘amazing’ 1-0 defeat of Australia

byManila Standard Sports
July 4, 2022, 10:10 pm
0
152
Filipinas in ‘amazing’ 1-0 defeat of Australia

By Peter Atencio Sarina Bolden found the back of the net in the 60th minute, sending the Philippines to another...

Read more

Pagunsan duels Que, Van der Valk in Aoki Invitational opener

byManila Standard Sports
July 4, 2022, 9:13 pm
0
132
Pagunsan duels Que, Van der Valk in Aoki Invitational opener

GEN. TRIAS, Cavite – The forecast of rains notwithstanding, the men of the Philippine Golf Tour look to pound the...

Read more

Hot-shooting Manila Stars crush Muntinlupa Cagers

byManila Standard Sports
July 4, 2022, 9:10 pm
0
140
Hot-shooting Manila Stars crush Muntinlupa Cagers

The Manila Stars gave the Muntinlupa Cagers a rude welcome in the OKbet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season presented...

Read more

No boxing, weightlifting in LA Olympics, for now

byRandy Caluag
July 4, 2022, 9:00 pm
0
156
Youth Empowerment online sports summit set

Boxing and weightlifting are not included in the initial program approved by the International Olympic Committee for the Los Angeles...

Read more

Gilas’ lack of size a concern

byPeter Atencio
July 4, 2022, 8:50 pm
0
139
PBA to hold special draft for Gilas  Pilipinas

Lacking in size, the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball team will make the necessary adjustments with players who are available...

Read more

Avaricio launches drive for 4th LPGT title

byManila Standard Sports
July 4, 2022, 8:40 pm
0
132
Avaricio seeks to extend LPGT run at Eagle Ridge

Gen. Trias, Cavite—Chanelle Avaricio sets out for another title crack with a form that continues to get better over time,...

Read more

Stories you may like

  • Denying Villafuerte justice

    Starting on the wrong foot

    3042 shares
    Share 1217 Tweet 761
  • Of course, it was BBM’s project

    33240 shares
    Share 13296 Tweet 8310
  • The next, now, or never in new romance film ‘Ngayon Kaya’

    2346 shares
    Share 938 Tweet 587
  • Property relations in marriage

    1123 shares
    Share 449 Tweet 281
  • Herbosa will make an excellent DOH Secretary

    2077 shares
    Share 831 Tweet 519

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Sneakers for Makati : AB4.0
  • BBM tackles food shortage
  • Xi to invite Marcos to visit China, Beijing’s top diplomat set to arrive
  • Bautista nixes status quo in land transport
  • Palace: Evaluation of candidates for still-vacant posts in final stage
  • All’s not lost for Bulacan freeport, government to back bill once ‘corrected’
  • Big price cuts on diesel, LPG, but gas unchanged
  • Average daily COVID cases jump 60%, OCTA sees drop next week

Advertisement

Latest News

All’s not lost for Bulacan freeport, government to back bill once ‘corrected’

byMacon Ramos-Aranetaand1 others
July 5, 2022, 1:00 am
0
139
Vax wastage, infection surge feared in Odette-hit areas

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will fully support the establishment of a special economic zone and freeport adjacent to the proposed...

Read more

Big price cuts on diesel, LPG, but gas unchanged

byAlena Mae S. Floresand1 others
July 5, 2022, 12:50 am
0
143
Gov‘t on alert over inaugural disruption buzz

Oil companies cut pump prices by as much as P3.40 per liter effective 12:01 a.m. Tuesday to reflect the movement...

Read more

Average daily COVID cases jump 60%, OCTA sees drop next week

byWillie Casas
July 5, 2022, 12:40 am
0
141
Laguna officials, huge crowd go for BBM, Sara

The Philippines logged 7,398 new COVID-19 cases from June 27 to July 3, 2022 with a daily average of 1,057...

Read more

Medical reserve corps bill pushed

byMaricel Cruz
July 5, 2022, 12:30 am
0
144
Fiction comes to life: How to Murder Your Husband

Three legislators led by Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin G. Romualdez have proposed the creation of a Medical Reserve Corps...

Read more

SC strikes down ERC regulation on power mart

byRey E. Requejo
July 5, 2022, 12:20 am
0
150
ERC approves NGCP-SMGCP deal

The Supreme Court has nullified the order issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) that regulated the prices in the...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App