Cinderella girl

Barring any last-minute disaster or unforeseen circumstance, Filipino-Ivorian fencer Maxine Esteban will be competing in the Paris Olympics. There is no stopping the 23-year-old from realizing her Olympic dream.

Although there’s still one qualifying event left that will be held in Washington on 15 March, Esteban is already a cinch to make the Olympics after leading the race for a direct qualifying spot for the African continental zone by a wide margin.

Interestingly, she’s also the second-best Asian foil fencer in the individual Olympic qualification ranking, further solidifying her grip on the biggest and most prestigious international sports conclave, set from 26 July to 11 August.

Seeing Esteban reap so much success in the international arena is bittersweet for sports-loving Filipinos.

It is bitter because she will be coasting on the River Seine for the opening ceremony of the Summer Games donning the colors of Ivory Coast — a former French colony in West Africa that is known more for its enchanting beaches and delicious coffee than its sports program outside of football.

At the same time, it is sweet because justice will finally be served Esteban after she suffered so much pain from what she branded as the disrespect, unfair treatment and injustice done to her by her own federation — the Philippine Fencing Association.

An eight-time national champion, Esteban was the toast of Philippine fencing. She was the country’s highest-ranked female foil fencer in the world rankings until she tore her anterior cruciate ligament while representing the country in the World Fencing Championships in Egypt in 2022.

Top federation officials granted her request to be excused from local and international competitions while she underwent a six-month rehabilitation program.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

When Esteban was finally given clearance to return, the federation removed her from the national roster and refused to reinstate her, prompting her to miss key international events like the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games and the Asian Fencing Championship.

Worse, the local fencing body had the audacity to ignore her requests for an explanation as to why she was suddenly dropped from the national pool despite the written excuse she submitted and her status as the highest ranked female foil fencer in the country prior to her injury.

With a bleeding heart, she boarded a flight to Ivory Coast to help its fencing program. The Ivorians embraced her as if she was their own, paving the way for her to become a naturalized citizen who would soon be their Olympic hero.

There is no doubt that Esteban is a modern-day Cinderella. Despite working hard in training while spending her own resources to hire the world’s most brilliant coach and covering his airfare, accommodations and allowance whenever she competed in international events, she was still treated terribly by federation officials who were supposed to protect her. If someone of her stature could easily be mistreated by ranking federation officials, what more the ordinary athletes?

Who will stand and take up the cudgels for them?

The oppression in Philippine sports has to stop. Esteban’s story should serve as a wake-up call for ranking sports officials, especially those in the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission, to come up with measures to protect the athletes.

At the same time, lawmakers should open an inquiry into why athletes like chess wizard Wesley So, golf phenom Yuka Saso, badminton ace Paula Lyn Obanana, and now Esteban leave the country.

They should dig deep into this issue to craft legislation that would protect them.

Esteban’s Olympic debut will definitely be a momentous occasion. Sure, she will be representing

Ivory Coast in her quest for Olympic glory, but deep in her heart she will be fighting for the Filipinos, especially for her fellow athletes who are crying endlessly knowing they are on the brink of losing their silent battles against their own coaches, managers and sports officials.

Esteban should not be treated as a mere athlete who defected to another country in search of greener pastures. Instead, she should be seen as a role model, an athlete who doesn’t just simply compete but also stands up for what she believes is right.

“It is bitter because she will be coasting on the River Seine for the opening ceremony of the Summer Games donning the colors of Ivory Coast.

“If someone of Esteban’s stature could easily be mistreated by ranking federation officials, what more the ordinary athletes?