As Chair of the Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Christopher 'Bong' Go said yesterday that he will always support and protect the integrity of Filipino athletes.

Go was referring to the allegations made by Anais Lavillenie, wife of a French pole vaulter, against  EJ Obiena purporting that the Filipino  used performance enhancing substance.

"This is a serious allegation against our national sports hero who happens to hold the current Asian record in pole vault," he said.

Obiena, according to the senator, has already made huge contributions, not just to Philippine sports, but to the world.

"I am sure that Obiena is a professional world-class athlete who is expected to abide by world sports standards and policies," he pointed out.

"I, therefore, urge the one who makes such a claim to substantiate it and not resort to ruining someone's reputation on social media. If there is a need for any national athlete to undergo necessary and official tests from the anti-doping body, there is a process for this which I am sure any elite national team is aware of," he said.

Go said that we should not tolerate such baseless accusations, pointing out that after all, professionalism is part of sportsmanship.