Unpatriotic not to let her race - Tolentino

MANILA, Philippines - Cyclist Marites Bitbit has 300,000 reasons to feel bad that she wasn’t able to compete in the 25th SEA Games in Laos.

A gold medalist in last two stagings of the biennial event, Bitbit found herself skipping all three events she’s entered in after her 12 other teammates were denied by the Union Cycliste Internationale or UCI the licenses to compete.

Only Bitbit had the UCI go-signal to compete, and shoot for a third straight gold medal in the SEA Games. But she ended up signing a letter, along with her teammates, that they’ve decided to withdraw from the races as a whole, as a team.

She had wanted to compete, and probably earn for herself an unprecedented P300,000 in cash incentives that await all Filipino gold medalists in Laos.

“If it’s true that she was asked to withdraw, that was very unpatriotic,” said Philippine Cycling Federation president Abraham Tolentino who failed to send his cyclists, all armed with UCI licenses and good chances to win, to the Laos event.

Instead, cyclists from the other Philcycling faction, which had the blessings of the Philippine Olympic Committee, were sent to compete, only to find upon their arrival that they can’t because they didn’t have the licenses from the UCI.

Victor Espiritu, a gold medalist in 2007 who’s with the Tolentino faction, was left behind.

Not even a petition signed by all 11 SEA Games member countries could make the UCI, under Pat McQuaid, to bend their rules, and allow the Filipino cyclists to compete even with temporary licenses.

“They insisted on sending their own cyclists, who did not have the UCI licenses. And that was unfair to the others who were left behind even if they’re the ones who had the UCI licenses,” said Tolentino, also the mayor of Tagaytay City.

“It was crab mentality, selfishness, pride and ego,” said Tolentino, adding that Bitbit had the chance to carry the fight on her shoulders but was prevailed upon by majority of the group to skip her events “for the sake of unity.”

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping, who said it was such a waste of money and resources sending the 12 cyclists and five officials to Laos even if they weren’t sure of their fate, said Bitbit ended up the loser.

“Why deprive her of the honor to represent the country and the chance to win the gold medal,” said Angping who also wanted to find out if Bitbit really decided on her own to withdraw from the cross-country, downhill and time trial events.

“She was the only one who had the chance to compete. And instead of supporting her and rallying behind her to go and win the gold, she was asked to withdraw just to show that the team is united,” said Tolentino.

“The UCI was just following its rules. The UCI did not favor me or the other group, But it just can’t bend its rules because of a petition. It was just a matter of knowing the protocol in the Olympic movement and the IFs (international federations),” he added.