The Philippine Olympic Committee will not hinder Maxine Esteban from representing Ivory Coast in the international arena.
POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said they will grant Esteban’s request to represent Ivory Coast in a bid to make it to the Paris Olympics next year.
The 22-year-old Esteban, an eight-time national champion, used to be the country’s top women’s foil fencer after reaching No. 64 in the world ranking under the mentorship of legendary Italian coach Andrea Magro.
But she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury while representing the country in the World Championship in Cairo, Egypt last year, prompting the Philippine Fencing Association to drop her from the roster.
She had a surgery in Australia and was cleared to compete by Dr. Edgar Eufemio of the Philippine Sports Commission in December, but the federation still refused to reinstate her to make her eligible to see action in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.
Without a team, Esteban trained on her own and immersed herself in Ivory Coast — a Western African country that had a representative in the fencing competition of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.
PFA president Richard Gomez and the International Fencing Federation already approved her transfer and agreed to waive the three-year waiting period for her to represent Ivory Coast in various Olympic qualifying events.
With Tolentino agreeing to issue his green light, the road is clear for Esteban to shoot for a slot in the Paris Olympics.
“It’s okay with us,” Tolentino said in a report.
“She can share her talent, too and help in the development of fencing in that small country.”
Esteban has a golden opportunity to make it to the Summer Games.
Right now, she is ranked No. 84 in the world and is competing in Coupe du Monde and the Coupe Du Monde Par Equipes in Tbilisi, Georgia in a bid to gain ranking points for the Paris Olympics.
Ranking points are up for grabs from April this year up to April next year. Zonal qualifying tournaments are also set in April next year.
“Her best chance to make it to the Olympics is this year,” Esteban’s mother, Carol, told Daily Tribune in a telephone conversation.
“She had sacrificed a lot for the past 10 years and this is her only chance to make it to the Olympics. She may be now considered as a half-Filipino but her heart will always be with the Philippines.”
