Rival groups reach cycling accord

MANILA, Philippines - The two groups contesting the leadership within the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines or Philcycling yesterday came to terms regarding the holding of a unified qualifying tournament that will determine the country’s representatives to the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou in November.

The agreement came after officials from both groups met for more than an hour at the Philippine Olympic Committee headquarters at Philsports in Pasig City. While the leadership issue was not tackled, what’s important is that the country will not miss the cycling competitions in this year’s Asiad.

The leadership dispute between the two camps cost the Philippine participation in the 2009 SEA Games in Laos where Filipino cyclists with strong medal chances were caught in the crossfire and were denied the chance to compete. This time, both camps agreed to set their differences aside.

“Everything is okay. Everybody agreed. There was no politics involved. Nothing about the dispute. It went very good and we’re all very happy,” said Moying Martelino, a member of the POC working committee. He acted as mediator and was very successful in bringing both parties together.

Under the agreement, a qualifying tournament that will feature cyclists from both camps will take place from July 9 to 15, with the cross country and road race events set in Subic, and the track events at the Amoranto Velodrome. It was agreed upon that the results of the races will be respected.

Atty. Cornelio Padilla, a former Tour champion, pitched in for Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham Tolentino, whose group is the one being recognized by the Union Cycliste Internationale, while Col. Arnold Taberdo and Armando Bautista represented the other group being recognized by the POC.

Martelino said both groups agreed to make all their cyclists available for the qualifiers, meaning only the best Filipino cyclists will get to represent the country in Guangzhou.

“It’s a true breakthrough in our quest for a gentlemanly compromise to enable our cyclists to compete. We are hopeful that this has opened the door to a final settlement of issues that have divided the cycling community,” said Jose Romasanta, the chef-de-mission of the RP Team to Guangzhou.

It was Romasanta who broached the idea of a unified qualifying tournament a couple of weeks ago, and it was not hard for him and Martelino to set it up.

The development should serve the country in good stead as the Asian Games moved five months away. This also should serve as a precedent to the other NSAs (national sports associations) with leadership problems that are standing in the way of their participation in the Asian Games.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping, as early as last year, called on the NSAs with leadership disputes to bury their differences for the sake of the country’s participation in international competitions, and then called on billiards officials, among other NSAs, to field what he labeled as a “Dream Team.”

Aside from cycling or billiards, other Asian Games-bound NSAs embroiled in their own disputes are wushu and equestrian.