IOC to monitor POC polls

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be paying close attention to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) elections that will be held this Friday at the East Ocean Seafood Restaurant in Pasay City.

POC elections committee (Elecom) chairman Atty. Teodoro Kalaw IV yesterday said the IOC will be virtually monitoring the staging of the polls, where incumbent POC chief Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino of cycling will shoot for a four-year term against POC auditor Joaquin “Chito” Loyzaga of baseball.

Kalaw’s statement is consistent with the letter sent by IOC National Olympic Committee Relations Department chief Jerome Povey to POC secretary general Wharton Chan last week.

Povey requested Chan to send them the final list of voting members and make it accessible to other members of the POC general assembly. Aside from that, he also asked Chan for the final list of candidates for various positions.

Kalaw said they are aware of the IOC request so they will grant them access to the polls via livestreaming while allowing IOC representative to the country Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski to participate in the electoral exercise that happens only once every four years.

“Mikee is the one who’s going to vote as the representative of the International Olympic Committee, but the proceedings will be monitored virtually by the IOC,” Kalaw said, adding that only the presidents and secretary generals of POC-recorgnized national sports associations (NSAs) can cast their votes.

NSA vice presidents, meanwhile, can also join the elections provided that they have the authority from their federation presidents.

“Pursuant to Article IV, Section I of the 2024 by-laws, it is the duly authorized representatives (who can cast their votes),” Kalaw added.

“Well, there’s only one vote per NSA. And the representative has to be the president or secretary general — or a vice president of a regular member duly authorized by the president and attested by the secretary general. So there are only three — only three people can cast their votes.”

“The one vote can only come from one of those three (officials).”

Aside from Cojuangco-Jaworski and 58 federation leaders, the POC will also allow members of the athletes commission — a male and a female — to join the elections.