Can EJ Obiena compete in major tourneys after PATAFA drop?

Can EJ Obiena still compete in major international tournaments despite the announcement of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) that it is dropping the world no. 6 pole vaulter from the national team?

This is what we know so far.

National athletes can only participate in major tournaments like the prestigious Olympics, Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, and Asian Games through endorsement from their mother federation, which in Obiena's case is the PATAFA. 

In Tuesday's press conference, PATAFA president Philip Ella "Popoy" Juico stressed that the decision to expel Obiena from the national pool came after PATAFA's investigating committee concluded its probe on the alleged misuse of funds of the 26-year-old Olympian.

When asked if Obiena can still play and represent the country, Juico said: "Well, if we go by ordinary  standards, he needs to be endorsed by PATAFA. If there's no endorsement, he will not be able to play,"

"Again, that is something that we have to discuss and look into," he added.

POC take

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), though, has a different take on the matter.

If and when Obiena does not get the endorsement from PATAFA, POC president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino said the POC is ready to step up and back Obiena in his attempt to compete in Paris Olympics in 2024 as well as the Vietnam SEA Games and Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, both are taking place this year.

Tolentino said they could help Obiena secure a spot in the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR),  a program administered by the Olympic Solidarity Commission since the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"Of course, we in the POC will help EJ in his future campaigns. Of course, the NSA has the right to recommend or not, endorse or not, its athlete/s for international competitions, but there’s a provision in the IOC Charter allowing NOCs to endorse athlete/s," said Tolentino in a statement.

"In the absence of an endorsement from a national federation, the organizer/host owns a prerogative to allow embattled athlete/s—the IOC allows refugee athletes to compete in major international competitions (including Olympics)."

Another option for Obiena would be changing nationality.

Obiena himself confirmed receiving lucrative offers to change his citizenship even before his rift with PATAFA was made public. He, however, had stressed that he doesn't plan on representing another flag.

Support for EJ

The POC asserted that it is also firm on its plans to support Obiena all the way.

"We in the POC will make sure EJ will be in Hanoi and Huangzhou and in all other major world competitions, we’ll fight for EJ," added Tolentino.

The committee earlier declared Juico a persona non grata over the Obiena issue, a charge the official has vowed to contest.

The investigation of the POC's ethics committee concluded that Juico had harrassed Obiena by making "malicious public accusations". This was after Obiena was accused of falsifying the liquidation report with regards to the salary of his coach, Vitaly Petrov.

Obiena, for his part, has hit out at PATAFA's allegations.  —JST, GMA News