‘Before Christmas’

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) pulled off a stroke of genius when it appointed Tom Carrasco as president and CEO of the country’s hosting of the 1st Southeast Asian (SEA) Plus Youth Games in 2027 and the 7th Asian Beach Games in 2028.

Carrasco is a veteran sports official. He has been around since the administrations of former POC presidents Celso Dayrit and Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, making him very familiar with the dynamics of hosting an international event.

He is also widely credited for turning triathlon into one of the country’s most popular fitness activities, with his brainchild — the Subic International Triathlon — running smoothly for the past 33 years.

Lately, he is flirting with the idea of forming a national team for Hyrox — a fast-rising indoor fitness race that combines endurance running with functional workout stations. He said he is looking to spearhead the country’s hosting of international Hyrox races next year as part of the government’s aggressive push for sports tourism.

But what’s truly commendable is the fact that he will be replacing Ramon “Tats” Suzara as chief organizer of the SEA Plus Youth Games and the Asian Beach Games.

A quick search on Suzara reveals a storied background in sports administration. He possesses vast experience organizing major international events through key roles in local and international volleyball federations. The Asian Beach Games, in particular, is practically his domain after serving as the Operations Director for its first four editions in Bali in 2008, Muscat in 2010, Haiyang in 2012, and Phuket in 2014.

Can he get the job done? Absolutely.

But his technical expertise is only half of the story.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is investigating Suzara for his involvement in the alleged fund misuse, procurement anomalies, and irregularities during the country’s hosting of the 30th SEA Games.

In fact, the NBI even formed a special task force — brilliantly named Task Force Cash Cow — that is comprised of members of the Public Corruption Division, Special Action Unit, and Office of the director to look into the alleged anomalies of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc), the body that Suzara and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano spearheaded to organize the SEA Games.

Mind you, the amount involved is not mere peanuts. NBI director Melvin Matibag said the total fund under investigation amounts to P10 billion, including monies coming from the Philippine Sports Commission, POC, Department of Budget and Management, and the private sector.

Investigators are also re-examining the P55-million SEA Games cauldron project, which initial NBI findings suggest may have an actual cost of only P5 million.

Matibag added that they were set to wrap up the investigation three weeks ago and prepare to file necessary charges against the key Phisgoc personalities but were delayed when fresh pieces of evidence and witnesses cropped up. But he vows that the perpetrators will face charges “before Christmas.”

The POC really knows something we don’t when it suddenly decides to let Suzara go.

Maybe the POC executives know that it’s going to be hard for them to seek financial support from the government and private sector if somebody who is being investigated will still be at the forefront of the country’s hosting effort, or maybe — just maybe — higher authorities requested a swift leadership transition, given that the decision to replace Suzara with Carrasco was said to have been finalized during the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya.

Why the urgency? Why couldn't a decision of this magnitude wait until the entire national delegation returned to Manila? And if Suzara's record as an organizer was so indispensable, why was he abruptly replaced, with a timeline that pointed to "before Christmas"? Hmm… interesting.

At any rate, the POC’s decision to replace Suzara with Carrasco was really a good move. It was a masterclass in sports governance, as Carrasco’s experience, wisdom, integrity, and, yes, credibility will be needed as the country prepares to roll out the red carpet for Asia's best athletes.