Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 30) – All’s well, that ends well between prized pole vaulter EJ Obiena and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA).
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) announced Wednesday that ace pole vaulter EJ Obiena and the PATAFA had settled their dispute through the mediation process led by the national sports body.
“It is with much joy that we announce that both parties have agreed to a settlement and the proceedings ended successfully,” the PSC said in a statement.
The settlement paved the way for the national athletics federation to agree in endorsing Obiena to play in two major competitions: the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) and the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
The 31st SEA Games will be held in May in Hanoi, Vietnam while the World Athletics Championships are scheduled in July in Oregon, USA.
The PSC said the mediation between Obiena and PATAFA lasted for five sessions and concluded on Wednesday.
The national sports body also said Obiena apologized to PATAFA after their mediation proceeding.
“Mr. Obiena expressed his apologies to PATAFA, its board members, (PATAFA president) Mr. (Philip Ella) Juico and his teammates, and both have assured each other of forgiveness, to start anew and move on,” the PSC stated.
The much publicized rift between Obiena and PATAFA started after the national athletics body accused the Olympic pole vaulter of embezzling training funds and falsifying liquidation reports, specifically those relating to the fees of his Ukrainian mentor Vitaly Petrov.
Obiena denied PATAFA’s allegations, but he admitted paying Petrov late due to his busy schedule in training and tournaments. He also blasted PATAFA for neglecting his concerns while he was training alone in Italy, saying he even shouldered the bank transfer fees just to pay Petrov’s salary.
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Executive Board declared Juico “persona non grata” due to his malicious accusations against Obiena, a move that was challenged by the national athletics federation chief and raised to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
With things getting out of hand, the PSC offered to mediate between Obiena and PATAFA. The bemedalled pole vaulter initially declined the offer, but eventually decided to go to the negotiating table.
The two houses of Congress also stepped in as they both held hearings to address the concerns of Obiena and the PATAFA.
Four senators even filed a motion to cite in contempt Juico and PATAFA board members for not honoring their agreement in a Senate hearing that they will settle their issues with Obiena.
PATAFA previously declined to endorse Obiena in his four major international tournaments this year, resulting to his non-participation in the 2022 World Indoor Athletics Championships last March 19.
RELATED: Obiena laments missed chance in competing in indoor pole vault worlds
The POC included Obiena in the roster of the Philippine athletics team for the Vietnam SEA Games, despite the pending mediation proceedings.
Earlier on Wednesday, the national Olympic committee decided to nullify its executive board’s previous decision to suspend PATAFA for 90 days “in the spirit of sportsmanship and because of the Lenten season.”
