Tokyo-bound Obiena asks Thomasian community for support ahead of olympics

EJ Obiena, one of the Philippines’ strongest bets for a medal finish in Tokyo, is appealing for financial support ahead of his Olympic campaign next month. 

The 25-year-old pole vaulter, the first of 15 Filipino athletes to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, is a product of UST. As a member of the UST Tracksters, Obiena set the UAAP pole vault record with a 4.46-meter jump in 2016.

“Sadly, I haven’t had anyone from UST come to me. I’m really hoping that would be the case. I am knocking on your kind hearts right now if anyone’s listening. That would be awesome if I could get some support. That would be much appreciated,” he told the Varsitarian.

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Obiena’s Olympic campaign is currently supported by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and private corporations he did not name. 

“But I could use all the help that I can get,” he said.

Government support

As of June 9, the PSC has appropriated a P46.2 million budget for Filipino Olympic qualifiers.

But some athletes, including boxing gold medal hopeful Eumir Marcial, have expressed discontent with the state-provided allowances. 

In a Facebook post last May, Marcial said he was receiving a P43,000 allowance from the government, an amount insufficient to support his international training.

“Do you think I can rely d’yan sa P43,000 para sa plane tickets, accommodation, food, coaching staff, supplements, masseur and etc. Lahat ng na-mention provided by private sponsors and of course my own money,” he said.

According to Obiena, athletes should realize that “the Philippines is not a rich country.”

“It’s a totally complicated topic to discuss, so as an athlete and as a Filipino citizen, I would say respect the community, respect the Filipino taxpayer especially at this time,” he said.

“I would just say I want to ask for more, but I just wanna be able to do the minimum to perform my best. And if that means asking for [support from] the government [and] the private sector, I’m open to all of it as long as I’m still able to do my job every day.” 

In preparation for the Olympics, the UST Engineering graduate joined two international tournaments in June, breaking pole vault records. 

Obiena defeated 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Tiago Braz after clearing 5.70 meters in the Folksam Grand Prix in Sweden last June 3. Mark Ernest V. Villeza

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