CEBUANA MARATHONER JOY TABAL SNUBBED BY PATAFA
Patafa president says he doesn’t want Olympian in SEA Games lineup Mary Joy Tabal declines to comment on the national sports association’s ruling PSC Commissioner Ramon Fernandez hopes that Patafa will reconsider
The country’s top female marathoner Mary Joy Tabal will mostly like miss the 29th Southeast Asian Games after the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) announced that she’s not in the lineup for the regional biennial meet. And all because she’s not a team player, according to Patafa president Philip Ella Juico. “Beyond winning, the selected athlete must have the capacity and dedication to set a worthy example to all other Filipino athletes and all Filipinos and be a unifying, not divisive and disruptive, factor in sports community,” he said
The country’s top female marathoner Mary Joy Tabal could miss the 29th Southeast Asian Games after the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) announced yesterday that she’s not in the lineup for the regional biennial meet.
Patafa, the national sports association (NSA) for track and field, made this statement during a press conference at the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Boardroom, attended by the athletics coaching staff and members of the national track and field team.
“Ayaw namin sa kanya, ayaw niya sumunod sa amin. Sisirain niya ang buong pamilya, ang community ng sports at ang values na gusto namin ipatupad sa asosasyon,” said Patafa president Philip Ella Juico.
Juico said that the selection of the athlete is not based only on the performance but also on how the athlete follows the rules and regulations of the association, attitude, respect for the association, respect for fellow athletes and authority, and commitment to the federation.
“Beyond winning, the selected athlete must have the capacity and dedication to set a worthy example to all other Filipino athletes and all Filipinos and be a unifying, not divisive and disruptive, factor in sports community,” he said.
Mary Joy Tabal refused to issue a statement and said that she will answer the questions during a press conference today.
Sought for his opinion, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Commissioner Ramon Fernan- dez said he hopes the Patafa leadership would consider everything because the country wants the best athletes to don the Philippine colors in the 2017 Sea Games on Aug. 19 to 30 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“Hope they will look into this matter very well. Maybe Patafa knows something that we don’t know. They may have a secret weapon better than Tabal,” added the PBA legend.
Fernandez said that PSC does not really have a say about the line-up since it’s the responsibility of the different NSAs.
The final line up for the Philippine delegation for the 2017 Sea Games will be made known after June 19.
Tabal got the invitation for the national team in May 2015 and resigned in August 2015.
She won a silver medal on her debut in the 28th Sea Games in Singapore. The 27-year- old of Guba, Cebu City was reinstated to the national squad in June last year but was released after her stint in the Rio Olympics in August.
I don’t think that they crossed the line. Honestly, no, I don’t think it was unsportsmanship or unfair or anything. KRISTINA MLADENOVIC on the crowd’s conduct in her match vs Muguruza.