The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has included Olympian pole vaulter EJ Obiena on the country’s entry by names list that will be submitted to the organizers of the 31st Southeast Asian Games set in Hanoi, Vietnam in May.
The development came after Obiena’s ongoing rift with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) affected his stint after the association did not endorse him in several tournaments including the SEAG.
“EJ’s name must be there,” POC president Bambol Tolentino said Friday.
Obiena’s national and Asian record of 5.93 meters is far better from his golden performance at the 2019 SEAG where he posted the Games record of 5.45m.
His current indoor season-best of 5.91m further boosted his chances of retaining his SEAG crown.
“It’s both frustrating and disappointing if we don’t see EJ setting a new SEA Games record in Hanoi,” Tolentino said.
“Logic plays a major role here for the need to include him in the SEA Games list, this is sports and he’s a national sports pride.”
Patafa argued they did not deny Obiena's request of endorsement since the mediation between two parties has been ongoing.
The association said one of the requirements to be endorsed is that Obiena must participate in the mediation.
The POC, Tolentino said, has written the World Athletics, the sport’s world governing body headed by running legend Sebastian Coe, on Obiena’s predicament.
A similar case happened in 1985 when the POC had to intervene on former Asia track queen Lydia de Vega’s inclusion on the national team for the Asean Cup the country hosted at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The late Governor Jose Sering was then the acting Patafa president in lieu of the suspended Michael Keon. De Vega refused to join the national team training at Teachers Camp in Baguio City and was chastised by her national sports association.