Ravena to raise awareness
PBA rookie sensation and Gilas Pilipinas mainstay Kiefer Ravena faced the greatest inquisition of his young basketball career on Monday.
The mood in his hastily but carefully put up press conference at the Launchpad building in Mandaluyong City was palpable and tense. Here was a man, arguably considered as the next face of Philippine basketball, sanctioned almost the harshest of punishments by being banned to play in FIBA competitions for 18 months. By extension, his eligibility in the PBA with the NLEX Road Warriors will most likely take a hit as well. For the first time in his career, the Phenom was reduced to his mortality.
Ravena, who has always been self-aware but never selfconscious, was reserved and focused as he addressed the media on what transpired nearly four months ago. Joining him in the press conference were the stakeholders of Philippine basketball from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), and even Manny V. Pangilinan himself. Alongside some of the most powerful people in Philippine sports, Ravena was in the middle, remorseful and filled with regret.
Kiefer Ravena was deemed ineligible from FIBA competition for 18 months after testing positive for prohibited substances in a random drug test conducted after the GilasJapan game on February 25.
"As they say, the art of a sincere and heartfelt apology is one of the greatest skills you'll ever learn in life," he began his statement, his eyes heavy and tired as if he searched for the right words in the last 24 hours since abruptly cutting short his PBAAll-Star stint in Iloilo.
He apologized to the PBA fans in Iloilo and supporters in general, explained the drug testing which happened last February 25 after Gilas' win over Japan, and clarified that prohibited substances were found in his pre-workout drink whichresultedtotheFIBAruling.
"Amidst everything, I am in front of you guys today to take full responsibility of my actions despite how painful and dreadful it is," he continued.
The 24-year-old took the arduous steps of admission of fault, clarification and explanation, and acceptance of punishment. More importantly, he went further and accepted an even bigger challenge: an advocacy.
On his part, Ravena was indeed negligent in making sure his preworkout drink did not contain the substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). He admitted he was careless, but what happened to him can happen to any Filipino athlete. There is a lack of information on what is allowed and what is forbidden under WADA's standards.
"Now is not the time to be negative. This will all be okay eventually. We can learn a lot from this," Ravena implored. "There won't be instances like this, no more press conferences like this. "For me that's the biggest lesson - just be careful, be very, very careful and just be aware there are a lot of things under WADA for an athlete." —
ESPN5