3 RP athletes named to POC general assembly, council

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Olympic Committee yesterday decided to give the national athletes full and direct representation to the country’s top sports governing body’s general assembly and executive council.

During the POC assembly meeting at Wack Wack, POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. named boxer Harry Tañamor and long jumper Marestella Torres as the athletes’ representatives in the general assembly while swimmer Timothy Chua was given a seat in the executive board as the POC moved to give the athletes a voice in the sports body.

The POC board will thus have 15 members from 14 and the assembly from 40 to 42 voting members.

“The athletes’ representatives will be given equal rights accorded to regular national sports association (NSA) members and executive council members. They will now have a say and they can vote,” Cojuangco said.

“It’s the first time we’re doing this in compliance with the directive of IOC,” he said.

Cojuangco added that the athletes’ commission, a group composed of national athletes, selected Tañamor, Torres and Chua, all former Olympians, in elections held last Monday.

“The athletes commission selected them,” he said.

Tañamor, Torres and Chua will hold their posts until 2012, an Olympic year.

The new appointments came months after the Philippine Olympians Association, a group of former Olympians headed by shooting chief Art Macapagal, endorsed rower Benjie Tolentino and equestrienne Toni Leviste to the posts.

Meanwhile, the POC said it would not accept the Philippine Sports Commission’s proposal to bankroll only some of the athletes and officials participating in the first Asian Youth Games slated June 29-July 7 in Singapore.

“We can’t allow the PSC to interfere with our function,” said Cojuangco.

PSC chair Harry Angping said last Tuesday that the PSC would only fund the participation of 61 of the 70 athletes and 24 of the 30 coaches and officials requested by RP AYG chef de mission Cesar Binag of table tennis.

Angping’s move would save the PSC some P3 million.

But Cojuangco rejected the PSC proposal.

“Who is going to manage it? Who is going to attend the chef de mission meeting?” asked Cojuangco.

Instead, the POC chief urged the concerned NSAs to be self-sufficient and look for their respective sponsors.

“I will ask the NSAs to look for their own sponsors. I know some NSAs like swimming, athletics and bowling which can easily look for backers while those who cannot, the POC will try to find ways to help them,” Cojuangco said.

The POC head is also contemplating not sending any team at all to the event featuring athletes aged 14-17 years old.

“I’ve heard some suggestions to just pull out our participation in the event,” he said.

Cojuangco added he would meet the NSAs on basketball, beach volley, bowling, football, sailing, shooting and table tennis to discuss their plan of action against the PSC.

All 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia have confirmed participation in the AYG, which serves as qualifier for the inaugural Youth Olympics Singapore will also host next year.