PILI, Camarines Sur ,Philippines – When talk turned to politics in sports, the lovely senator couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“It just goes on and on and on,” said Pia Cayetano, who’s in town for the third Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines.
Considered a pioneer in the local triathlon scene, Cayetano is aware of what’s been happening in the sports scene.
She needed no briefing for her to comment on the brewing controversy involving the Cobra Philippines dragon boat team and the non-members of the swimming association.
The team won top honors in the recent IDBF World Championships in Florida, but just can’t seem to get all the credit, the adulation it deserves.
The rift between the team members and top officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee is just getting too much to bear for sports lovers.
But Cayetano said it’s really nothing new.
“This issue with the dragon boat team is nothing new to me,” she said.
“It has happened with other sports like cycling two years ago. And before that similarly basketball,” Cayetano added.
She said it’s got to end. And only the President can do something about it now.
“I really feel the President has to intervene and say that he won’t tolerate politics in sports,” Cayetano told The STAR.
“These are the top pillars in sports and unless they feel there’s somebody higher than them, then it won’t change.”
That’s the reason she’s saying that the President should step in.
“I really feel it’s the President who should say ‘enough, enough’ so we can send the best athletes out there and represent the country,” said Cayetano.
“Because time and again, we keep on hearing more horror stories of athletes having set aside so much in their lives, and you deny him or her of that.”