Philippine Olympic body responds golf uniform snafu, clarifies issues

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) emphasized on Saturday that it has made every effort to ensure the timely release of competition gear for the women’s golf team at the Paris Olympic Games. However, a delay caused by French customs resulted in one player publicly expressing her frustration online.

In a statement, the POC, the governing body for sports in the Philippines, apologized for the mishap, which quickly went viral, but dismissed allegations of corruption as the cause of the incident.

“Adidas, the official apparel sponsor for the Philippine delegation at the Paris Olympics, initially sent a set of gear for the golf team, which was subject to approval by the International Olympic Committee. Unfortunately, the initial set was not approved, prompting a swift replacement to be sent a week before the competition began,” the POC explained.

The statement continued: “Several boxes containing the replacement gear were shipped directly to Paris, but French customs held the package. Despite our best efforts, the gear was not released in time for the competition.”

In response, the POC arranged for additional sets of competition gear to be produced locally in Paris. During the practice rounds, golfer Bianca Pagdanganan wore the Adidas apparel, while Dottie Ardina wore the competition uniform in the first round.

However, in the subsequent rounds, both athletes resorted to wearing their personal attire, improvising with the Philippine flag emblem to maintain their national pride.

Before the third round, Ardina shared her frustration in a video that went viral, lamenting the lack of uniforms and the apparent lack of concern from those responsible.

“Sana all my uniform…kami lang ang wala. Kailangan pang bumili ng t-shirts,” said Ardina. “D’yos ko, ano’ng klaseng Olympics’ to?”

In the video, Ardina is seen using double-sided tape to secure the Philippine flag on her shirt.

“Nakakahiya,” she vented. “Sobra-sobrang tao, kami lang ang walang uniform, tuklap-tuklap pa ito (meaning the flag).”

On the issue of corruption, the POC clarified that the apparel was provided free of charge by Adidas, reiterating that there was no financial arrangement involved.

“We are deeply saddened by the issue surrounding the uniforms, but we have supported our athletes wholeheartedly,” the POC stated. “We have done everything within our power to equip our athletes for success at the Olympics, but some circumstances are simply beyond our control.”

Despite the uniform controversy, the Philippines’ campaign at Paris 2024 has been a resounding success, highlighted by gymnast Carlos Yulo’s historic two-gold feat and bronze medals from boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.

The POC stressed that the situation involving the golfers, while unfortunate, is an isolated case.