With the deadline of submission of the final roster of athletes for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia set today, the camp of the Cebuana Olympian Mary Joy Tabal said the chances of the multi-titled marathoner to be included look bright.
According to Tabal’s handler, Jonel Borromeo, also the president of Motorace Philippines, he had a fruitful meeting with Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president Philip Ella Juico in Manila last Tuesday to discuss Tabal’s reinstatement.
Borromeo did not elaborate on his meeting with Juico since he flew straight to China yesterday to attend to personal matters.
“I will keep everyone posted as we progress in our discussions,” Borromeo said through a text message. Tabal is currently in Tuscany, Italy to train for two months.
The 28-year-old Tabal was recently excluded from the list of the national team for the SEAG by the Patafa for allegedly violating some of the federation’s rules and regulations.
Tabal denied the allegation and said she will ask to be reinstated since she just wants to “run for the country.”
The Patafa set some conditions for Tabal to be reinstated, one of which is to train together with the rest of the National Team.
Tabal’s trainer John Philip Dueñas said his ward sent a reply letter to the Patafa yesterday regarding the conditions.
“She answered Patafa’s letter to her but I can’t provide the details yet since I have not read the letter,” said Dueñas.
“For me as a coach, their conditions are not healthy for the athlete. Our target is to improve her more and following their conditions will surely affect her training but we have to wait for Patafa’s final decision regarding this matter.”