THE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) finds itself in a similarly sensitive and precarious situation as two decades ago when its general assembly convenes today to determine whether to go on or deny the call for a special elections for the positions of chairman and president.
The general assembly was ordered by Pere Miro, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Deputy Director General for Relations with the Olympic Movement, who encouraged the POC ”to hold an assembly in hopes of resolving the issue.”
At the center of the debate are boxing president Ricky Vargas and cycling chief Tagaytay City Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who were disqualified by the POC from running for the top two positions in the 2016 elections.
The POC commission on elections barred Vargas and Tolentino from running for “lack of attendance” in the general assembly. The duo contested decision in the courts and got a favorable decision first from a Pasig City Regional Trial Court that ordered for a February 23 special elections for president and chairman.
In 1998, the POC was in dire straits and was in danger of being suspended by the IOC when majority of its members called for a no confidence vote against then POC president Cristy Ramos.
It was also Miro who managed the crisis for the IOC and was personally in the country to supervise the special snap elections that had then fencing head Celso Dayrit winning the presidency.
Jose Cojuangco Jr. is under fire for his handling of the POC, which he led since 2004. He ran unopposed in the November 2016 polls because of Vargas and Tolentino’s disqualification.