EJ Obiena dreams of bringing in the biggest names in pole vault for a tournament he plans to stage in the Philippines.
However, the 27-year-old Olympian admitted that there is still a ton of work to do to make it happen.
He explained in a radio interview yesterday that he wants first to secure a date for the competition that would not overlap with other major tournaments.
“There’s definitely movement. We already have the date when we want it to happen, September 20. If it happens later or earlier, we want to make sure that it doesn’t affect the calendar of athletics,” Obiena said.
The three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist has worked with the Philippine Olympic Committee since last year on bringing world-class athletes like world champion Mondo Duplantis of Sweden, Chris Nilsen of the United States and Thiago Braz of Brazil, Obiena’s training partner, to the Philippines.
“There’s still a lot of things to work on so I can’t promise fully that there will be a competition but me and my team are doing the best we can to bring these athletes to Manila,” Obiena said.
Aside from organizing the event, Obiena is also aiming for a slot in the 2024 Paris Olympics when he competes in the BAUHAUS-Galan in Stockholm on 2 July.
The qualification period starts on 1 July with pole vaulters needing to clear 5.82 meters for an outright slot in the Summer Games.
“If I jump 5.82m, I should be qualified in Paris. I am indeed planning to go to these championships because these championships would give me points for my ranking and these are important for the country,” Obiena said.
He is also set to participate in the Asian Athletics Championships in Pattaya, Thailand next month and the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China this September.
