Philippine Olympic chief saddened by SEA Games bodybuilders' doping oversight
MANILA, Philippines – It could have been prevented.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino lamented the recent brouhaha concerning the national bodybuilding team that was sent back home packing for failing to comply with the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games doping requirements.
“I did everything up to the last minute,” said Tolentino. “But they invoke some rules which could have been remedied if some officials are really ‘working officials’.”
“Anyways, it’s a lesson learned,” he added.
Composed of eight men and a woman, the squad was not allowed to compete because it did not submit the necessary doping tests that should have been done three weeks before the start of their event.
It was mentioned in the games’ handbook that all participating athletes must submit doping and clearance certificates for them to be able to join.
Apparently, the Filipino bodybuilders have not.
In a story by Agence France-Presse, a news wire agency, the team was sad to learn that they could not participate and shoot for medals in the biennial meet.
They vowed to make a big return though in next year’s SEA Games edition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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