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World track and field governing body upholds PATAFA authority over Obiena

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Manolo Pedralvez

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Despite the ongoing dispute with the PATAFA, Obiena continues to represent the Philippines in international competition, the most recent of which is at the Orlen Cup in Poland, which he topped. AFP/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/afp/02/12/20220212-ej-obiena.jpg"/><figcaption>Despite the ongoing dispute with the PATAFA, Obiena continues to represent the Philippines in international competition, the most recent of which is at the Orlen Cup in Poland, which he topped. AFP/file</figcaption></figure></div>World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, has upheld the authority of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association in dealing with its issues with Europe-based Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena.This was contained in the letter of World Athletics president Sebastian Coe addressed to PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico last February 10 in response to the January 28 letter the local track governing body sent to World Athletics regarding its board’s decisions and action in its <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/07/22/patafa-obiena-hinimok-na-muling-mag-usap" target="_blank">dispute</a> with the Obiena.“Thank you for the letter 28 January 2022 and details the procedures undertaken by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association Committee and of the Committee Report dated 29 December 2021 by the PATAFA Board of Trustees,” Coe, a middle distance running legend, wrote.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/12/22/obiena-tops-poland-tourney-for-1st-title-of-2022">Obiena tops Poland pole-vault tourney for 1st win of the year</a></li></ul>“As previously stated, we consider (issue with Obiena) an internal matter, and in line with the approach taken, we encouraged all internal disputes of a Member Federation to be resolved in accordance with stated processes and procedures for resolving disputes in a Member Federation’s Constitution or applicable relevant Rules and Regulations and that these are run fairly for all concerned.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/26/22/obienas-coach-asks-what-is-patafa-doing">Obiena&#x27;s coach asks: &#x27;What is PATAFA doing?&#x27;</a></li></ul>The former 2-time Olympic gold medalist, who ruled the men’s 1,500-meter run at the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games, pointed out that the “PATAFA is a member of World Athletics and as such is the sole governing body of athletics in the Philippines.”Coe cited the World Athletics constitution, Article 9, regarding the obligations on member-federations, including PATAFA, which are responsible for “administering, promoting and developing Athletics in the Philippines in accordance with the purposes of World Athletics; and democratically electing or appointing its officers and executive body.”The WA president underscored that PATAFA was a good member of good standing in the organization, stating that “we can confirm that PATAFA has fulfilled its obligations for World Athletics membership in 2021, and details of PATAFA and its office bearers are set out in the World Athletics website at this <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/aboutiaaf/structure/member-federations/asia#PH" target="_blank">link</a>. Coe recognized “the outcome of the last PATAFA elective General Assembly held on 10 November 2021 was that Dr. Philip Juico was elected as the office bearer of President. Dr. Philip Juico was the voting delegate of the Philippine Member Federation at the World Athletics Congress held on 17-17 November 2021.”He cited Juico as a former “member of the World Athletics Governance and Integrity Reform Working Group and Values Commission and provided valuable input to support the implementation and promotion of these critical areas of work, which are fundamental to underpin our sport and the growth of athletics.”Coe concluded his correspondence by saying: “I trust that this clarifies World Athletics’ position with regards to PATAFA.”PATAFA chairman and House Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez and PATAFA senior board member Felix Tiukinhoy, a prominent Cebu businessman, thanked Coe for supporting and recognizing the prerogatives of the local track body.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/28/22/what-role-did-sporting-great-play-in-obiena-patafa-row">The role of pole-vault great Sergey Bubka in the Obiena-PATAFA controversy</a></li></ul>“We would like to thank Lord Sebastian Coe, who was once a member of the British Parliament, for his succinct grasp of the issue and his very clear response regarding the work of PATAFA in upholding the values of World Athletics,” Rodriguez said in a statement on Tuesday.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/25/22/poc-to-ensure-obiena-competes-in-sea-games-asian-games">POC working to ensure Obiena&#x27;s participation in SEA Games, Asiad</a></li></ul>“This statement (of Coe) defines our working relationship with other sports stakeholders. We should be guided by it and work in harmony.”Tiukinhoy said Coe’s statement “should settle with finality the metes and bounds of all sports stakeholders with respect to the role of PATAFA.“This statement should put a stop to overreaching and serve as an inspiration to the other NSAs who look with concern at the actuation of sports leaders.”The letter by the World Athletics president essentially gave PATAFA a free hand in dealing with its dispute with Obiena, which was triggered by a casual conversation among Juico, WA senior vice-president Sergey Bubka and the athlete’s Ukrainian coach, Vitaly Petrov, head of the World Athletics elite training camp in Formia, Italy.That conversation resulted in a sworn affidavit by Bubka, a former world and Olympic pole vault champion through the nurturing of Petrov, who claimed that his former compatriot and mentor had not been totally paid of his fees from 2018 to August 2021.This came from the funds from the Philippine Sports Commission that was directly given to Obiena for his training, participation in international competition and build-up to the Tokyo Olympic Games last year, including Petrov’s wages. A private and confidential PATAFA administrative probe found Obiena of falsifying liquidation documents, which it claimed included Petrov’s forged signatures.Both athlete and coach appeared in an online press conference last November to refute the allegations and stressed that Petrov had been fully paid, although this was completed only on November 4, 5 and 9 in huge lump sums to Petrov’s account through bank transfers in the country and the United Arab Emirates.Despite being summoned thrice by the local track body to explain his side, Obiena went to the Philippine Olympic Committee to file a complaint of harassment against Juico with the POC Ethics Committee headed by rowing chief Pato Gregorio.Based on the recommendation of the POC Ethics Committee, the POC Executive Board on December 28, 2021 declared Juico persona non grata, a decision that was ratified by the POC General Assembly during its meeting last January 26, which the athletics chief alleged had been “railroaded.”The athlete has also twice spurned the mediation process brokered by Philippine Sports Commission chairman William “Butch” Ramirez, whose agency has bankrolled the athlete’s overseas training to the tune of millions of pesos, in an effort to resolve the controversy amicably.The PATAFA recently announced that it was “moving on” from its dispute with Obiena and focusing its attention on its remaining athletes who are training and gearing for the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games in May and the Hangzhou Asian Games in China in September.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/08/22/amid-obiena-patafa-row-poc-to-help-vaulter-find-funds">Amid Obiena-PATAFA row, POC to help Olympic pole vaulter find funds</a></li></ul>On the other hand, Obiena continues to play for the country, topping the Orlen Cup in Lodz, Poland over the weekend with a season-best jump of 5.81 meters for his first victory in the European indoor season. <div>FROM THE ARCHIVES</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1879911" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Sebastian Coe underscored that PATAFA was a good member of good standing at World Athletics, the international track and field governing body.