MANILA, Philippines – Filipina golfer Dottie Ardina said she chose to take a stand not just for herself but for future athletes who will represent the country in the Olympics as she publicized her disappointment after she and Bianca Pagdanganan competed in the Paris Games without their official uniforms.
Ardina said she hopes for Filipino sports officials to do better next time after the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) pointed to logistical problems for the apparel mishap.
In a video that made the rounds on social media, Ardina showed the process of sticking a patch of the Philippine flag to her store-bought shirt using a double-sided tape, calling the situation “embarrassing” as she and Pagdanganan were the only participants left with no uniforms.
Ardina did the procedure to each of her tops for the last three rounds of the women’s golf competition that ran from August 7 to 10.
“I could have just stayed quiet, but thinking about it, I decided to speak up not just for myself – this might be my last Olympics – but for those who will come after us, for them to have a better Olympic experience,” Ardina wrote in Filipino in a statement posted on her Facebook page.
“I hope this does not happen again. I hope changes will be done in terms of management. I hope for better communication between officials and athletes who will participate in future Olympics. I hope no other Filipino athlete looks sorry.”
According to the POC, the package containing the competition gear provided by its official outfitter, Adidas, got held up by French customs.
The POC said replacement uniforms were produced locally in Paris, but noted that Ardina and Pagdanganan opted to wear their personal attire with the “positive impression of sporting the Philippine flag.”
Meanwhile, NGAP secretary general Bones Floro said Ardina already decided to buy outfits even if there were alternative gear on the way.
Ardina felt the POC and NGAP pinned the blame on her.
“On the eve of August 5, the new uniforms arrived but they were assorted brands and sizes and they were not matching. There were other shirts that did not fit us both, not just me. To make it worse, the stamp of the PHI logo was covered by the collar,” said Ardina.
“They did not do anything right. Aside from the uniforms, they also did not provide us golf balls, head covers, gloves, and golf umbrella. They gave us only a locally-made bag and golf shoes. Fortunately, we brought our own. I cannot understand why there was no budget for the gear and equipment.”
“Why are they turning this on me?”
Ardina said even opposing golfers were curious about their uniforms.
“I mentioned that it was ’embarrassing’ because there were a lot of people and I cannot avoid questions from the other players. ‘Your flag is peeling off.’ ‘You did not get your uniforms?’ ‘Those are a lot of tapes. They did not provide your head covers?’ I did not know how to answer,” said Ardina.
“We made a way to look respectable here, but in the end, it looked like I’m the one getting blamed.”
Despite the uniform snafu, Ardina and Pagdanganan did well as the Philippines ended up as one of only two countries with two players in the top 15.
Pagdanganan fell just a shot short of forcing a playoff for the bronze and finished at joint fourth, while Ardina landed at joint 13th ahead of a number of LPGA major winners, including Nelly Korda of the USA, Minjee Lee of Australia, and Celine Boutier of France.
“I only wanted us to look proper and presentable as we’re athletes representing the country so that other countries will look at the Philippines with respect,” said Ardina.
“For me, competing in the Olympics is such an honor [and a chance] to show the skill of the Filipino while representing the flag of the Philippines on the world stage of golf. I am praying and hoping that we were able to truly play the part.” – Rappler.com