Follow lead of cycling, says Peping

The Philippine Olympic Committee wants national sports associations with leadership disputes to follow the lead of PhilCycling.

POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. said yesterday that warring factions should make the sacrifice similar to what cycling officials did for the sake of the athletes and their sport.

Cojuangco was obviously referring to table tennis and billiards, both of which have been mired in conflict for quite some time.

The groups of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Ting Ledesma are both claiming leadership in the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines while some of the top officials in billiards want Billiard Sport Confederation of the Philippines president Arturo Ilagan to step down.

“Other NSAs with leadership conflicts should think about their athletes and their members,” said Cojuangco after unifying the feuding parties in cycling headed by Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Dr. Philip Ella Juico.

Tolentino was installed president while Juico was named vice president in a unification election last Tuesday, ending the three-year-old turf war in cycling.