PATAFA cut out Obiena’s Participation in 2022 Sea Games

Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, a multi-champion in international

pole vaulting and the current Men’s No. 5 Ranked Athlete by the
World Athletics, was excluded in the list of athletes of the
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) who are
participating for the 31st Southeast (SEA) Asian Games to be held
in Hanoi, Vietnam in this coming May.

Obiena’s name was not recorded in a document that contains

his entry by numbers, in which the PATAFA and 38 other national
sports associations participating in SEA Games submitted to the
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

Reports of the master list without obiena’s name were found

out when the POC assigned the respective National Sports
Associations (NSA) to submit the names of the athletes that are
set to fly to Hanoi, Vietnam for the SEA Games.

POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino was then quick to

voice out his frustrations over PATAFA and President Philip
Juico’s decision. He expressed his disappointment on this latest
development, stressing the country will miss a great chance to
nab a gold in the biennial sports meet.

“I can only shake my head, this is horrible. An NSA

relentlessly sanctioning its No. 1 athlete, a guaranteed win and
who knows a future world and Olympic Champion, I just couldn’t
find a logic,” Tolentino said.

Obiena, the reigning SEA Games pole-vault champion, and

PATAFA have been in dispute for several months now over
allegations that the athlete misused funds provided by the
national athletics governing body.
 “Barring serious injury, EJ will win the gold medal even
blind folded in Hanoi. He’s not only the best in the SEA Games,
but in the whole of Asia, not to forget that he’s No. 5 in the
world,” added Tolentino.

This is already the second-straight time that PATAFA

disregarded Obiena when they denied his written endorsement
letter for his entry in the upcoming 2022 World Indoor
Championship.

According to PATAFA training director Renato Unso, had

Obiena been endorsed by PATAFA, the 26-year-old could have been
the first full-blooded Filipino to compete in the World Indoor
Championships.

Obiena recently recorded a new season high score during his

France tilt hurdling 5.91 meters, just two centimeters shy of
tying his Asian record of 5.93 meters during the 2021 golden roof
challenge held in Austria.

He was also the only Asian pole-vaulter to enter and qualify

for last year's Tokyo Olympic.