Go Teng Kok launches ‘mission impossible’ for POC president

MANILA, Philippines — Calling his candidacy as “mission impossible,” athletics chief Go Teng Kok formally challenged Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. as  president of the Philippine Olympic Committee elections by filing his candidacy Friday for the  Nov. 30  polls.

“As I’ve said before, I will run if nobody challenges Cojuangco. It’s now up to the Comelec what to do with my candidacy,” said Go, who was instrumental in securing Cojuangco’s victory over former shooting head Art Macapagal in the 2008 polls.

The POC commission on election has a week to decide if Go is qualified to run because he was earlier declared persona non-grata by the local Olympic body.

Sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan had earlier declined to run against Cojuangco despite moves by a group of national sports association heads to back him up.

Cojuangco, seeking a third straight term, has in his ticket triathlon’s Tom Carrasco as chair and karatedo’s Joey Romasanta as first vice president.