Five major tournaments lined up for EJ Obiena in 2022

Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena is facing a hectic schedule this year as the world no. 6 has set his sights on five major international tournaments.

Obiena, who holds the Philippine and Asian record of 5.93m, is expected to compete in the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships from February 11 to 13 in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan.

He is also eyeing the 2022 IAAF World Indoor Championships on March 18 in Belgrade Serbia; the Vietnam SEA Games in May; the World Athletics Championships from July 15 to 24 in Oregon, USA; and the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September.

His participation in these tilts, though, remains up in the air as all these are International Olympic Committee (IOC)-sanctioned events and would require him an endorsement from the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), which is the midst of a public rift with the Olympian.

PATAFA recently announced that it was deferring its decision to expel Obiena from the national pool. But even if the athletics body pushes through with the expulsion, Obiena's camp remains hopeful he can still compete.

"Actually, EJ is just dropped from the national pool of athletes, meaning he's not going to get funded by the PATAFA. But it doesn't preclude the PATAFA from endorsing him for the tournament," Obiena's legal spokesperson Atty. Bobbet Bruce told GMA News Online in an interview.

"We don't know what is going to happen. But we're hopeful that when the time comes for EJ to be endorsed, the right sports agency, whether the PATAFA or the POC, can properly endorse him. EJ needs to jump, that's his job. That's his life."

Aside from these five major competitions, Obiena is also tipped to represent the Philippines in the Init Indoor Meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany, on January 28.

This could serve as the opener for his indoor season.

"He needs a good indoor season to have momentum for the bigger events during the outdoor season," Bruce added.

"He needs to tune out all the noise.  I hope that he will be given a chance to be an athlete for the moment and for him to be able to do a job that he is not only trained for but where he is also world class. If he is fit and without injury, we can expect a lot of great things from EJ."

—JMB, GMA News