Elections

The past week, news outlets and social media have brought to the fore the upcoming Philippine Olympic Committee elections. And although the focus generally is on who is running for president, there are many things to consider aside from who else will be seated on the POC board. Of course, political alliances being what they are, each election brings with it a certain degree of unpredictability, particularly dependent on the number of candidates for each position, who believes which votes they have, and which votes they actually possess. This quadrennial exercise also shows how little a spoken word or promise may mean, particularly if it inconveniently gets in the way of winning more votes or getting in a potential winner’s good side.

The elections are timed to coincide with every Olympic cycle, so the board sits for four years. But when you recall that national sports associations (NSAs) hold their own elections every year (well, most of them, anyway), it is probable that an NSA head who is voted onto the POC board is only head of his NSA for a few weeks out of that four-year term. It’s happened before. That somewhat waters down their influence and ability to effect policy. At any rate, there is still no mechanism for rectifying that situation, so the peculiarity still stands.

With the recent national elections, the voting members also have to consider if their candidate for POC president can work closely with a stricter, tougher Philippine Sports Commission. The government agency is exercising its visitorial and review powers over the POC as a means of ensuring that public funds are properly allocated for grassroots development and elite athlete training. PSC chair Butch Ramirez has repeatedly said he is willing to loosen the commission’s purse strings if an NSA properly liquidates the funds it has received and shows a viable program. Of course, it isn’t personal, but along the lines of the national government’s policy of protecting the welfare of the general public, and avoiding charges of corruption or incompetence, the banes of any government agency. An NSA head who has a measure of financial autonomy may have an edge.

Ironically, neither the size, popularity, accomplishments, revenue nor longevity of an NSA are factors in the election. Athletics or swimming do not have any particular advantage even if they comprise the bulk of Olympic events. Basketball is not considered a frontrunner because it is the country’s favorite sport. It is a matter of personalities, as are most elections in the Philippines. It will boil down to which candidates are able to influence the most number of voting members, and which have strong enough alliances (or favorable promises) to sway those they aren’t affiliated with.

What else is a consideration for the POC board? Leadership, for one. You can’t get a group to do anything if they don’t believe in you or don’t want to follow you. The POC has access to a wide array of sponsors from many international companies and territories. It has the authority to accredit or discredit any athlete or team or delegation wearing the Philippine flag, even, to some extent, club tournaments or one-off events overseas. The POC also has the ability to generate revenues with and for NSA’s through events, conferences, and so on. It can also deliberate on and settle issues within the NSA’s, if need be, and can suspend members sports associations if it deems it necessary to do so. In other words, being in tune with the POC leadership can make your life relaxed, or a perpetual gauntlet.

The POC also puts together the organizing committees for the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games. Each committee, in turn, negotiates rights for television exposure and sponsorships for the broadcasts and various events to be covered. When the Philippines is hosting an event, it can also determine to a certain degree what events may or may not be included, and stack the odds of winning medals in its favor. This also affects the broadcast schedules of the sports in these multi-sport events. And we are not talking about small amounts. Television sponsorship is very important, particularly in the Olympics, where advertising inside venues is not allowed, and athletes are discouraged from displaying any sponsors outside of their apparel brand and (at most and when applicable) one major sponsor.

On a more mundane but equally important level, the POC influences the training and selection of athletes to the national pools and the training and selection of athletes to the national teams. Generally speaking, this is one area wherein the POC has the final say on who goes to which competition and when. POC members are considered the authorities on the technical aspects of their respective sports, and contesting this is what often gets athletes into trouble with their mother NSAs (or at least their officials, which are sometimes not the same thing). Each sport has a budget determined by its needs and the availability of funds from the PSC.

Being on the POC board is a privilege and an honor, but it is also a job. And the job of each succeeding board is to surpass its predecessors. That could be the biggest consideration of all. That is, if improving Philippine sports is at the top of the voters’ agenda.