Put up or shut up

Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president Go Teng Kok is itching for a fight. And his gunsight is trained on Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Celso Dayrit. So what else is new?

In his latest tirade, Go accused Dayrit of abandoning marathoners Roy Vence and Christabel Martes by not appealing the exclusion of the Olympics’ traditional capping event in next year’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Games calendar in Vietnam.

The organizers of the coming SEA Games recently conferred with representatives of various National Olympic Committees (NOCs) on the events lined up in Vietnam. Struck out were bowling, golf, baseball, softball, synchronized swimming, and marathon. Dayrit filed an appeal to include bowling and golf but gave up on marathon.

Horsetrading is what the haggling will come down to. There are 32 disciplines so far in the Vietnam agenda. Organizers may be persuaded to expand the calendar to a few more, depending on what they can expect in return. Unfortunately, that is the reality of politics in sports.

Country hosts enjoy the prerogative of deciding which sports to list in the SEA Games calendar aside from the 16 mandatory disciplines like basketball, track and field, swimming, and football. That’s why the Vietnamese organizers had the audacity to include such non-Olympic sports as shuttlecock kicking, pateque chess, and traditional boating.

Dayrit probably figured he had to sacrifice one event for the sake of two others in making his appeal. Marathon was compromised because the event has only two gold medals at stake while there are a lot more in bowling and golf.

Besides, Dayrit disclosed that the Vietnamese organizers appeared set in ruling out marathon, considered the most important Olympic event, because of logistical difficulties. Dayrit said about 1,000 policemen will have to be mobilized for marathon. Organizers also cited the narrow streets of Ho Chi Minh City as a far-from-ideal route for the event.

Dayrit said he fought for marathon but hesitated in filing a formal appeal because the organizers were adamant and so as not to jeopardize the chances of success in seeking reconsideration for bowling and golf. Contrary to Go’s allegations, it has nothing to do with any personal differences.

"We are throwing away two sure gold medals by not appealing for marathon," said Go. "It’s not fair to Roy and Christabel and it’s not fair to the country. I hope it’s not because Mr. Dayrit does not like me. Roy and Christabel are full-blooded Filipinos and deserve to compete in Vietnam because they earned it."

Go said he will resign his PATAFA position and sign his letter of resignation wherever and whenever Dayrit designates if the POC will file a formal appeal to include marathon in the Vietnam agenda.

"I only want Mr. Dayrit’s assurance that he will make an appeal," said Go. "That’s the least Roy and Christabel deserve. And I will resign as soon as Mr. Dayrit gives the assurance, never mind if in the end, the Vietnamese organizers turn it down."

Go said PATAFA is not his livelihood and he will continue to support sports even if he resigns as president.

The problem is it may be too late for Dayrit to file a formal appeal because the sports calendar is likely to be finalized next week when the fate of bowling and golf will be known. But Dayrit suggested a way out.

Dayrit said if Go is willing to put his money where his mouth is, the powerful 4As (Asian Amateur Athletics Association) could lobby for the inclusion of marathon and convince the Vietnamese organizers to see the light. It’ll be a business proposition, more than anything else, as the 4As or whichever lobbying group must be ready to foot the entire bill to stage the marathon.

Go said PATAFA itself could come to the rescue. "If they don’t know how to organize a marathon, we can do it for them and we are prepared to spend for it," continued Go. "Not knowing how to organize an event is not an excuse for excluding the most prestigious Olympic event."

Vence, 36, was the highest Southeast Asian placer in marathon at the recent Asian Games in Busan. He took a silver at the SEA Games in Jakarta in 1997 and placed fourth at the eighth Asian Marathon in Hong Kong this year. Vence captured the gold in last year’s SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Martes, 23, claimed the silver in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter events at the Thailand Open and topped the women’s marathon at the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur last year.

The marathon was excluded from the 1999 SEA Games calendar in Brunei, supposedly for security reasons.

Because only two golds are up for grabs in marathon, Vietnamese organizers said the event is not worth the trouble of staging because it requires a serious mobilization effort.

Here is where Go’s bark and bite come in. It’s no longer in Dayrit’s hands to make an appeal. If Go’s bite is as big as his bark, he should put up and convince the Vietnamese organizers to include marathon in next year’s SEA Games calendar. If Go can get it done, Dayrit will be the first to congratulate him for sure. If he can’t, then Go should forever hold his peace.