Bowling wars

“The difference between hope and despair is a different way of telling stories from the same facts.” – Alain de Botton

The Philippine Bowling Federation (PBF) took exception to this writer’s piece on the success of the Philippine Bowling Congress (PBC) delegation that participated in the recent Asia Pacific Masters Games (APMG) in Malaysia. A multi-awarded female bowler sent a private message to this writer. After a thinly veiled pleasantry, she said that The STAR and this writer were “misinformed” about the whole matter, a rather heavy-handed and – in my opinion – impolite way to open a conversation. The PBF is insisting that the PBC broke rules and misrepresented themselves in Malaysia. Incidentally, the PBF also contacted other media outlets that gave the PBC group exposure for their success. Let’s examine the concerns aired.

The PBF sent its Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registration, documents affirming its recognition by the Philippine Olympic Committee, and other papers affirming its standing as a member of World Bowling and the Asia Bowling Federation (ABF). Curiously enough, this is a separate issue.

In a copy of an Asia Bowling Federation memo the PBF sent, it states:

“Member federations must take all reasonable and practicable steps to ensure that their member bowlers do not participate in unsanctioned tournaments... and to discipline those of their member bowlers who have participated.”

However, the PBC bowlers are not PBF members, and the bowling tournament was organized by Malaysian Tenpin Bowling (MTBC). The PBC has formally questioned the legitimacy of PBF’s ascension, claiming that there was no due process. PBC says they were not notified and that no notice of any meeting, discussion or investigation was sent to them. Instead, they belatedly found out that they were no longer the national sports association for bowling. Meanwhile, World Bowling rules, chapter 3 states, “Players participating in sanctioned tournaments must be certified by their respective national federation...”

Given this situation, PBC bowlers cannot be members of PBF. In order to be able to comply with the rules and play in the APMG, the PBC bowlers became members of the Malaysian federation. They were allowed to play. PBC officials declare that this was an issue of membership, not citizenship. In theory, the renewable annual membership allows the PBC members to join other ABF events.

There are, of course, many precedents to this, even in Philippine bowling. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has a provision for athletes to compete under its banner (not as an athlete of a nation), if the athlete’s country is at war or is embroiled in domestic strife. In dancesport, some of the world’s best pairs come from different countries. Naturalization is an accepted practice in many sports. The spirit of all these is to allow athletes to compete, regardless of their circumstances. And if they win and bring honor to their motherland, so much the better. This was what happened with the PBC bowlers. They were allowed by the organizers to play, and they won. Why try to sully it or take it away? This gatekeeper mentality is exactly how the country has lost many world-class athletes in chess, ice- skating, dancesport and other sports. Not being allied with a particular group does not make anyone less of an athlete, or less of a Filipino.

The PBF also points out that in some of the APMG bowling events, there were hardly any participants. That is not the fault of the PBC bowlers who were in those events. In past SEA Games, the Philippines has taken home automatic medals in boxing, arnis and other events which only had the minimum of four entries. Does this somehow cheapen those medals? Not in the eyes of the Philippine Sports Commission, which gave incentives for all fairly won medals, anyway.

The PBF can insist all it wants that it is recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee. Nobody is questioning that they are, unless the POC ever withdraws recognition, which is unlikely. What is disturbing is how they’ve been going out of their way to discredit the success of anyone who does not sign up with them yet still achieves any modicum of success. They haven’t answered questions on the procedural lapses of how they achieved their status. Yet they jealously guard their position even when nobody can take it away from them.

Until PBC’s questions are answered, they will not join PBF, and will find ways to compete abroad. PBF, meanwhile, will use every means to assert its authority as the NSA for bowling. Neither group will be happy with the success of the other. This situation will not be resolved any time soon.