The Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) will implement stricter rules to prevent fly-by-night race directors from handling running events from now on.
CCSC commissioner Allan Delantar created a new set of requirements for race directors who will handle running events in Cebu City after a supplier of race singlets brought up a complaint regarding a “newbie” race director who did not pay them the contracted amount to produce singlets for a running event that took place earlier this year.
The identities of the complainant and the accused race director are withheld upon the request of Delantar since investigation regarding the matter is still ongoing.
Delantar received numerous complaints from both race organizers and runners that the said race director has already had issues before.
Because of this, the CCSC will require race directors to follow stricter rules to prevent incidents like this from happening again.
The CCSC will now require a race director to represent or own a legitimate organizing company that must have an office in Cebu.
The race director must also have a physical or onsite registration site for the run, must present a legitimate charitable organization that will serve as the running event’s beneficiary, and should have a signed contract between the organizer, the race director, and the suppliers of the singlet and medals stating that there should be a mutual agreement, especially the payment of the singlets and medals and other aspects of the race that need to be funded.
“CCSC will implement stricter requirements for race directors and their running events to avoid being fooled. There is a proliferation of events these days and some of these are bogus like the race director that we are investigating right now that targets companies, sponsors, NGO’s and foundations even suppliers of singlets and medals.There were numerous reports that the suppliers of the medals and singlets were not paid fully by this fly-by-night race director so we want to protect all the stakeholders and most importantly the runners,” Delantar told Cebu Daily News.
He added that he wants to avoid these things to happen in the future and protect the stakeholders of running events from being victimized by fly-by-night race directors.
“If there is any more victims of this kind of incident, please visit us at the CCSC office and report it and provide us the names so we can apprehend these personalities and prevent them from organizing running events again,” added Delantar.
Meanwhile, one of the more noted race directors in Cebu has his own suggestions for this problem.
Presing Capangpangan, who is the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu’s (SHS-AdC) athletic coach, suggested that each race director must be accredited by Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) and must not be involved with the registration and other aspects of the running event except managing the route and the race itself.
“The race director should not be involved with the registration, singlet and medals. It should be the organizers who must handle that matter because there is already money involved. I agree with the new set of requirements CCSC imposes to protect the runners and the organizers from fly-by-night race directors,” said Capangpangan.
Another noted race director, Joel Juarez of Coco Running, chose not to comment regarding the matter.
CDN is still trying to get the side of Joel Baring of Sports and Fitness Enthusiasts.