SOME athletics records will not be certified due to the oval lane lining discrepancy at Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), said a Palarong Pambansa 2024 official on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.
"As a result of the discrepancy in the lining of the lanes, we cannot set or certify records as broken in running events 200 meters and above," Palarong Pambansa Secretary General Francis Cesar Bringas said during a press conference.
The new record of the 110-meter hurdle secondary boys set by Mico Villaran from Western Visayas was honored due to it being in a straight line, including all records of the 100 meters.
Western Visayas' 4x400-meter relay record of 3 minutes 21.02 seconds surpassed Calabarzon's previous record of 3 minutes 21.66 seconds, while Calabarzon's Jerico Cadag's time of 9 minutes and 34.49 seconds broke Central Luzon's Jerry Vasquez's previous record of 9 minutes and 35.2 seconds in the 3000-meter steeple chase.
However, both of these records, along with other supposed-to-be record breakers of the 200-meter and above running events, will not be acknowleged in compliance with athletics rules.
Bringas clarified that the records of the Palarong Pambansa are distinct from the records of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) or any other athletic organizations, whether local or international.
He hoped that the athletics coaches would be able to communicate effectively with their athletes about the situation and manage any potential psychological impact that the athletes may experience.
Cebu City Sports Commission Chairperson John Pages said the inconsistencies on the oval were not due to it being non-standard, but rather a result of a mistake in the lining of the lanes.
The average discrepancy of 0.88 meters across all lanes led to several lanes having an actual length of 399.21 meters.
"Unfortunately, the rule as explained by Janet Obiena, even if you are one centimeter short, even if it's 399.99, that is still short," Pages said. (Stephen Enrile, UP Tacloban intern)
