Cebu City Sports Center track oval. CDN Digital photo/Brian J. Ochoa
CEBU CITY, Philippines —It turns out that some Palaro officials were indeed aware of the short measurement of the track oval at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) before the country’s biggest sports event kicked off a few days ago.
Assistant Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas of the Department of Education (DepEd) revealed in a press conference on July 13 that although technical consultants had visited the track oval before they won the bid, the initial measurement did not include the rubber surface.
It was only after the rubber and other requirements were added that they discovered the oval was short.
“Yung na nangyari, I think nung ginagawa yung raw palang is, wala pang rubber kasi ibang contractor man yata ang nag rehab niyan. Pero nong inilagay na nating yung rubber at nilagay na yung mga other requirements in the oval at nag line na doon na found out na parang kulang na siya. So yan yung inaayos natin,” Brangis said.
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She added that the contractor used a telescopic device to measure the distance of the entire oval, which measured 398 meters instead of the standard 400 meters.
Initially, before laying out the tartan or rubberized portion and lining the track, Bringas said the measurement was within the standard. However, after these additions, the functional portion of the oval measured only 398 meters.
“Prior to the laying out of the tartan or the rubberized portion and the lining of the track, it was within the standard but after the tartan was laid and the linings were there, it appears that the functional portion of the oval is only 398,” she said.
Bringas noted the short measurement of the track oval was likely caused by the installation of a gutter during the renovation prior to the Palaro event. She explained that this gutter, which is a requirement, encroached on the functional track, reducing its length to less than the standard 400 meters.
“So merong portion na naglagay na sila ng gutter and it appears the gutter medyo pumasok siya kaya na short yung functional track natin. So yun ang tinitignan ngayon kung may significant effect ba talaga yung paglagay ng gutter kaya nag lessen yung oval track natin,” Bringas said.
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According to Bringas, the resolution involves bringing in a third party equipped with a telescopic device to conduct a more accurate verification of the entire oval’s distance.
Currently, due to the 398-meter measurement, none of the records are considered official yet. This discrepancy primarily affects events with curved tracks, while straight-line events such as the 100-meter dash remain unaffected.
“As long as it is, all our records because of the 398 measurements, all our records are not yet official,” she said.
An inaccurate measurement of the standard oval would mean excluding official times for the runners. For instance, pending records like the 110-meter hurdles for secondary boys cannot be validated as record-breaking due to the unresolved oval distance.
“That is actually the consequence and we cannot do otherwise because if we certify that they are on standard, that will be up to… that will be PATAFA (Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association) also that will be dragged into the controversy and that will be a red-flag to the World Athletics Association, as well. So we have to protect the PATAFA in this particular case,” Bringas explained.
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Looking ahead, Bringas expressed hope that similar issues would not arise in future Palaro events, particularly in Ilocos Norte.
Plans include improving communication between rehabilitation contractors and technical specification setters for the oval.
“They should be in constant and in the same vibes. So that the final output will still be within standards,” she said. /clorenciana