AFFIRMING gender equity and believing in Kristina Knott’s capability to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics were the main reasons why the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association endorsed Fil-Am sprinter over pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena as its Olympic Solidarity scholar.
“The Patafa takes seriously the ideal of gender equity, as espoused by both the International Olympic Committee and World Athletics,” Patafa President Philip Ella Juico wrote Philippine Olympic Committee secretary-general Atty. Ed Gastanes in his endorsement letter of Knott last Oct. 19.
“Arriving at this decision is an expression of the federation’s commitment to addressing systemic gender disparity in terms of access to funding and opportunities,” Juico stressed.
“Kristina has the strongest potential, as a female athlete in the national pool, to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. Providing her this funding will enable her to have an advantageous head start to build up to that lofty goal,” he added of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist.
POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino had wanted to award the Olympic scholarship fund of $900 (around P45, 298) a month until the Paris Olympics to Obiena and seven other promising athletes in other disciplines.
But Juico asserted during the recent POC general assembly meeting that Patafa had the sole right of nominating its Olympic Solidarity scholar, pointing out that Obiena already had definite sources of funding in his Olympic qualifying bid for the Paris Summer Games.
“The PATAFA strongly adheres to the concept of fair and equitable distribution of resources… In Mr. EJ Obiena’s case, the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) has committed a liberal funding for his training and related essential needs up to December 2022. This is in the amount of 218,080 euros (P12.9 million),” said Juico.
“In contrast, Knott does not have any except for her monthly allowance of P43, 000 coming from the PSC to support her training,” Juico said.
“Being an overseas-based Filipino athlete should not be a disadvantageous factor to determine if an athlete deserves to get an OS (Olympic Solidarity) funding,” added Juico.
In her application letter for the Olympic Solidarity scholarship fund, Knott said that it was her desire “to bring pride to the country in all track meets, including the next Olympics in Paris.
“Understanding that the journey begins now, this scholarship will be extremely helpful for my journey. To be successful in my sport, there are financial needs that must be met to help the athlete,” said Knott.
“With the hard training that goes into the journey, I, the athlete, need the financial support to accommodate my body maintenance needs for the next three years,” explained the sprinter. “That includes but not limited to supplements, training shoes/spikes, massages, chiropractic work, physical therapy, etc.
