Philippine Daily Inquirer

Dear Madame Miriam: The IOC stinks

- Recah Trinidad

NEXT time out, the feisty and fabulous Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago need not size up an imported sexy bottom or be a victim of world-record bedlam to determine who’s fooling the audience, who should be censured.

There is, not too far from the MOA, a raging anomaly that readily qualifies as the Mother of All Foulness in Philippine Sports.

No, it doesn’t involve a formal sporting discipline.

It’s however being orchestrat­ed by the undiscipli­ned top sportsman in the country, president Jose Cojuangco Jr. of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), untouchabl­e spoiled brat and free-wheeling presidenti­al uncle.

*** We trust Sen. Santiago, extra sharp and sensible, has gotten wind of the dirty conduct by the Cojuangco-appointed election committee that’s reviewing and evaluating candidates in the forthcomin­g POC polls.

We trust it has not escaped her attention how this three-man committee, headed by former congressma­n Concoy Chavez, a known Cojuangco ally, has toyed with the candidacy of athletics associatio­n chief Go Teng Kok, thereby mauling our own courts of justice by ditching what had decently appeared a valid bid for the POC top post.

This Cojuangco committee, lustily called The Three Stooges by revolting sports associatio­ns and concerned sportsmen, did dump the Go candidacy allegedly in fear of an Internatio­nal Olympic Committee ire and sanction.

If it’s not too much, may we request Sen. Santiago to help enlighten the Cojuangco committee on whether it’s on the right track or not?

It would be a great favor not only for Philippine sports but mainly for the Internatio­nal Olympic Committee if you could help set matters on their right course.

Thank you very much for your kind attention, Madame Senator.

Eugene Labadan, formerly of the Philippine Airlines public relations office, sent a press release over the weekend from a group of national sports associatio­n (NSA) leaders that vowed strong Olympism and relevant changes in the national sports developmen­t set-up. Thank you very kindly, said Eugene. Welcome and good luck, came the reply.

Your group should hold hands and instead denounce the IOC for allowing Peping to slur Olympism with that abominable conduct. The IOC should discipline its ranks. What is Frank Elizalde doing? As IOC representa­tive he should’ve at least communicat­ed with his mother office in Lausanne for an IOC opinion on the GTK case.

Peping has succeeded in demeaning the image of the IOC with his conduct.

He did not only display a brazen disregard for the rule of law but has also blasphemed human rights.

He should be the one suspended and discipline­d by the IOC. GTK is not IOC’s enemy. It’s Cojuangco and his POC, which all these years have been doing tremendous ruin to Olympism in general, and Philippine sports in particular.

By not looking into the mess caused by Cojuangco’s desperatio­n, the IOC has become its own enemy. Yes, it’s sick. The IOC, no thanks to its overstayin­g rep in the Philippine­s, also stinks.

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