EJ Obiena leads opening of Ilocos Norte’s first pole vault facility

BAGUIO CITY (November 26, 2024) -- Olympic pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” U. Obiena with Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc opened Ilocos Norte’s first pole vaulting facility at the Ferdinand E. Marcos FEM Memorial Stadium on November 22.

Seen as a step forward in transforming the Philippines into a global force in pole vaulting, the facility allows the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) to establish grassroots development programs for the promotion of pole vaulting to young athletes in Ilocos Norte.

It also emphasizes the provincial government’s commitment to promoting sports excellence and providing a competitive stage for athletes in the province to showcase and develop their talents.

Obiena is currently ranked 3rd in the 2024 World Athletics Rankings for the men’s pole vault category. He finished at 4th place in the same sport at the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, France. He is also the first Asian athlete to conquer the six-meter mark at the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway in 2023.

As an advocate in promoting pole vault in the Philippines, Obiena hopes to become an inspiration to the next generation of athletes in the country.  He believes that establishing such facilities across the Philippines will lead to a larger pool of talented athletes that can represent the country on the international stage, the Ilocos Norte media office said, quoting him in his message during the opening rites where he also shared his dream of making the Philippines globally competitive and emphasized the importance of self-sustainability.   “The main reason for this is for development and really to make sure we gain global success in the sport. This is basically my way of doing it, kickstarting it, and hopefully I teach you guys how to fish medals, not just in Palarong Pambansa and Southeast Asian Games but globally. Hopefully, we’ll get athletes from Ilocos to represent the country with pride and honor. This is only the beginning. Mark my words, I am devoted in this. I really want to see the sport grow,” he accordingly stressed.

Gov. Marcos Manotoc thanked Obiena’s initiatives in sports development. “Ang goal, ang wish, and ang dream po ni EJ that I share with him is to hopefully see a future pole-vaulting champion from Ilocos Norte. May we all commit to that goal, and of course we fully support EJ in this initiative.” The governor promised, “Let it be known, especially for certain days and times, we will allow kids of Ilocos Norte to access the facilities of our stadium for free, to make sure that they have every opportunity possible.”

The provincial government continues to strengthen the sports programs to provide young athletes all the support they need to polish their talents in their respective fields, while placing Ilocos Norte as a premier sports hub of Northern Luzon by hosting large-scale national and international such as the Palarong Pambansa 2025, the Ilocos Norte media office further said.