BEFORE the official start of the Palarong Pambansa 2024 last July 11, organizers were already aware that the rubberized track oval of the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) was two meters short of the 400-meter world standard.
This was confirmed by Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas in an interview on Saturday, July 13.
The education official said they held a solidarity meeting with athletic coaches on July 8 to inform the latter of the track oval’s shortcoming.
Bringas said they told the coaches that should the athletic games proceed, only results of the 100-meter race and under would be tallied, pending the reevaluation of the track oval’s measurement. Results of races that exceeded 100 meters or used the track oval’s curves would not be recognized.
Lack of alternative
When asked why organizers pushed through with holding the running competitions at the track oval, Bringas replied: “Saan kami mag-track and field (Where would we hold the track and field), if ever?”
“We laid out the consequences if we proceeded at the CCSC. So that was understood,” he said in Tagalog.
SunStar Cebu tried to reach Cebu City’s Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia for his comments regarding the development, but he had yet to reply as of press time.
However, Bringas held a press conference earlier on Saturday where he announced that they would tap a third party to measure anew the newly rehabilitated rubberized track oval after Palaro’s technical committee initially deemed it “substandard” due to the two-meter shortage.
If the issue is not resolved, this will put a dent on the credibility of the CCSC’s track oval to host national and international competitions. And if all race results are recognized, this might tarnish the reputation of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa), Bringas said.
According to its website, Patafa “is the National Sports Association for athletic sports such as track and field, road running, cross country running and racewalking in the Philippines, including the core athletics sports which constitute the Decathlon in the Olympic Games.”
Bringas said Patafa provides the technical specification for track ovals that adheres to national and international standards.
“For example, we have a 400-meter hurdle (result) for secondary boys that is pending (and) it is supposed to be record-breaking time, but it is still pending because of the non-validation of the actual distance of the entire oval,” he said.
“If they (Patafa) say that they are on standard, Patafa will be dragged to the controversy and that will be a red flag to the World Athletics Association as well, so we have to protect the Patafa,” he added.
The 2024 Palaro’s athletic national technical committee was led by Jeanette Obiena, a member of the Patafa. She is the mother of Filipino Olympian pole vaulter “EJ” Uy Obiena.
On hold
Until the official measurement is announced, Bringas said all records and results of the running competitions in the Palaro 2024 will not be recognized, save for the 100-meter dash, 110-meter hurdle run and other events with a straight line.
Student-athletes who were podium finishers or medalists will still receive their incentives from DepEd and from their respective local government units.
Bringas said that when the technical committee initially measured the track oval, results showed that it was two meters short of the required 400 meters.
He pointed out that the track oval underwent rehabilitation, so they’re looking at the possibility of differences in the line marking at the curve or the D portion of the track oval.
He said the inclusion of the gutter in the newly renovated track oval might have also affected the overall distance.
“Prior to the laying of the (rubber in the) track, it was within the standards. But the rubbers were laid, and the linings were there, it appears that the functioning portion of the oval is already 398 meters,” Bringas said in the press conference.
The education official would not provide a definite timeline as to when the official measurement would be announced.
Meanwhile, John Pages, Cebu City Sport Commission chairman, said the differences in the standard distance from the actual length of the track oval might lie on the lane marking.
Pages said a German engineer had certified the track oval specifications when the city last hosted the Palarong Pambansa in 1994.
“I think it’s best to wait for the third-party results,” Pages said.
In May 2023, the CCSC was closed to the general public as part of the Palaro preparation, after Cebu City won the bidding for the hosting rights of the 64th edition of the country’s premier annual national sporting event.
The preparation included the renovation of the rubberized track oval for the first time since 2011. The contract was awarded to SBD Builders in October 2023.
In a text message to SunStar Cebu on Friday, July 12, Shaun Doherty of SBD Builders clarified that their responsibility was only to replace the rubber of the track oval.
“Our scope of work was the removal and installation of the rubber track. The oval was constructed in 1994. Maybe they should look for the old surveyor,” he said in Cebuano, adding that they were not part of any survey team that measured the track oval.
SBD Builders only received the notice to proceed last January, and was given 120 days to finish the project.
Last May, Acting Mayor Garcia ordered the contractor to expedite the completion of the rehabilitation of the track oval.
The newly renovated track oval was inaugurated and launched last June 27. / EHP