Despite not being injured, World No. 3 pole vaulter EJ Obiena will sit out the Asian Indoor Championships next week due to logistical and financial issues
EJ Obiena’s terrific start in his 2023 indoor season is met with yet another bump in the road as the Olympian announced that he will be forced to skip the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships slated to happen in Astana, Kazakhstan next week.
The 27-year-old vaulter made a lengthy post in his social media accounts on Wednesday afternoon, accounting what transpired in the recent days that led to his camp’s decision to sit out the Asian Indoor Championships, despite not being injured and is looking good for another podium finish after winning two golds in his first four tournaments this season.
Obiena cited two main reasons for the development, firstly due to logistics.
“First, a pole vaulter without his poles is an ineffective pole vaulter. Despite huge efforts from everyone including my federation (PATAFA) and Mr. Capistrano, we are simply unable to get my poles to Astana, Kazakhstan. None of the airlines serving Astana will bring the poles. My mentor James Lafferty even worked with Pepsi Kazakhstan to drive the poles from Almaty to Astana. That didn’t work as it’s a 17H drive,” said Obiena in his post as reported by Sports Inquirer.
He also said that most Asian pole vaulters have withdrawn from this competition due to the same logistical reason, which is ironic as the Asians, of all athletes, will not be participating in the biggest indoor championships in Asia.
But the more concerning reason for Obiena not competing is “continuing financial issues.”
According to PhilStar, Obiena revealed that despite the past issues with his federation being resolved, he was made aware that his team has not received their pay for over a year now.
“Despite all the issues of the past supposedly being resolved, my team has not been paid now in over a year. Payments are caught up in red tape. Unfortunately, some of my team are now threatening to leave Team Obiena. I cannot blame them,” added Obiena.
“Who could work free for over a year? They have families to support and bills to pay. They can’t keep working for free. I can only hope this resolves soon. I am losing a team I desperately need. Nobody wins alone. It’s always have been a team effort.”
After posting his concerns, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Dickie Bachmann released a statement saying that the agency has already reached out to the national athlete regarding his claims.
“We will again reach out to the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) and will continue to speed things up to help the national sports association and Mr. Obiena. We continue to strive to give the best support to our elite athletes.”
Tags: #Pole vault,## athletics,# Asian championships