POC chief feeling the ‘heat of competition’

PARIS – The Paris Olympics opening ceremony pulled through with a flourish amid an unceremonious summer rain on the River Seine on Friday night with members of Team Philippines expressing undampened spirits for the 15 days of competitions ahead.

“The heat of competition is on!” said Philippine Olympic Committee (president Abraham Tolentino, who, like almost everyone else in the most-watched Olympic opening ceremony ever, wore a raincoat in the four-hour event.

But what’s on Tolentino’s mind as the 10 athletes and six officials merrily waved flags on board a boat they shared with delegations from Poland and Puerto Rico during the parade was the upcoming campaign of the 22-athlete strong team.

Rower Joanie Delgaco went on board first yesterday while Carlos Yulo, a former world champion in floor exercise and vault and a returning Olympian, was in the qualification round of men’s artistic gymnastics at Bercy Arena.

But boxing is where Tolentino felt more cautious after Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial drew a bye as the seventh-seeded light heavyweight, and faces a 20-year-old, 6-foot-1 Uzbek Turabek Khabibullaev in his first fight. Then there’s Hergie Bagyadan.

“It’s Hergie who has to be in her best elements in her first fight,” said Tolentino, referring to the Olympics debutant who’ll face top-seeded women’s middleweight Li Qian of China on Tuesday.