Blessing in disguise for Pacquiao?

IT was but right to disqualify Manny Pacquiao from participating in the Paris Olympic Games blasting off on July 26, 2024. His Olympic bid was doomed from the start, anyways.

You really can’t have it all.

It was the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that shut the door on Pacquiao. The IOC being a known stickler for rules, it factored age as the chief basis to its landmark decision.

Pacquiao turned 45 last December 17—way past the age limit of 40 for boxers, either pro or amateur, to qualify for Olympic action. The IOC is the last bastion of defense in protecting every single Olympic rule—an unbending stance as mighty as the tallest tree in every forest.

The IOC decision came via a letter in response to a letter it received from the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) requesting that Pacquiao be exempted from the age rule.

“Too bad our beloved boxing icon is disqualified because * of his age,” POC president Bambol Tolentino said.

Pacquiao himself had appealed to waive the age rule as early as last year.

The disqualification letter came from James Mcleod, the IOC director for National Olympic Committee Relations. It partly read: “The only valid boxing qualification system in Paris 2024 is the one approved by the IOC Executive Board in September 2022, published and distributed to NOCS [National Olympic Committees] and boxing national federations on 6 December 2022.”

Pacquiao also flunked the grade in the IOC’S universality rule that states: “The universality…will not be allocated to NOCS with an average of more than eight athletes in individual sports/disciplines at the last two Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.”

We had 17 athletes alone in Tokyo 2020.

While Pacquiao meant well as he dreamed of giving the country a second Olympic gold, his failed bid could be providential. At age 45, you will never know what’s going to happen atop the ring. The risks far outweigh the desired result.

Let’s preserve a treasure. Good that we were spared the thought of seeing our Pacquiao come home from Paris crestfallen—as a bird with broken wings. A sure heartbreaker.

THAT’S IT

Manila Southwoods will have its hands full defending its Men’s Regular crown starting March 1 in the PAL (Philippine Airlines) Interclub in Cagayan de Oro’s charming Pueblo de Oro and Bukidnon’s iconic Del Monte, with Alabang lurking as the top seed in the 75th edition of the storied event chiefly sponsored by Mastercard and Asian Journal. Alabang’s lineup include Benjie Sumulong, Arnel Paras, Toti Zara, Kevin Kim, RJ Maclang, Jerome Hernandez, Timmy Yang and Marc Reyes in the four-toplay, three-to-count format. All the best, fellas!...looking forward to seeing PAL Davao’s Charlie Erojo in Cagayan de Oro. He’s been our resident rock star in many PAL Media Golf events—still is. Rakenrol Charlie!