After 25-hour haul from Manila, Philippine Olympians safely in Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO – Tired and weary after a 25-hour journey from Manila, members of the Philippine Team to this Rio Olympics stepped foot on Brazilian soil Saturday, way ahead of the opening ceremony taking place on Aug. 5 at the 79,000-seat Maracana Stadium.

The Pinoy delegation, made up of six athletes and their coaches and three team officials, arrived at the Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport mid-afternoon after taking an eight-hour flight from Manila to Dubai and a connecting 14-hour flight to Rio de Janeiro.

Including a three-hour layover in Dubai, the trip lasted 25 hours. It was like taking a trip to Los Angeles back and forth in a single day. For most if not all the members of the Philippine delegation, it was the longest trip they’ve experienced.

Still, the athletes nor the officials did not complain.

Once inside the massive Athletes Village, which still showed signs of last-minute work, the athletes remained upbeat, dragging their huge suitcases on way to their headquarters on Building 2.

Room assignments, card keys, to vending machines and mosquito repellents were distributed among the team members that included long jump queen specialist Marestella Torres, table tennis hopeful Ian Lariba, taekwondo jin Elaine Alora, swimmer Jessie Khing Lacuna and weightlifters Nestor Colonia and Hidilyn Diaz.

Chef-de-mission Jose Romasanta and Philippine Olympic Committee second vice president Col. Jeff Tamayo, who’s in charge of the security of the delegation, joined the trip, together with the team physician, Dr. Ferdinand Brawner.

On way to the Athletes Village, which took almost an hour by official bus, the high level of security was very visible. Mostly, soldiers in fatigue and carrying long firearms guarded the airport and the main thoroughfares.  

Military trucks were strategically parked along the roads. In one intersection, policemen with pistols drawn were seen asking the passengers of a coaster to alight for inspection.

“It’s like Martial Law here,” said Tamayo, an Army officer and formerly with the Presidential Security Group under the Joseph Estrada administration.

“You can feel the high level of alertness here,” said Romasanta, referring to the Games that will push through amid serious threats of terrorism, political instability and the dreaded Zika virus that has forced some big-name athletes to withdraw from the Games.

Members of the delegation were told to stay indoors as much as possible, and keep the sliding windows to their rooms closed despite the absence of air-conditioning. The weather in Brazil is accommodating, however, especially at night when the temperature drops to below 20 degrees.

The Athletes Village looks good from the outside. But inside, it’s not as comfortable. The beds are too tight, especially for the bigger athletes, and leaking pipes and inadequate water pressure are among the early concerns. The low water pressure inside the bathrooms makes it quite difficult for one to even wash his or her face.

“I’m sure that in tomorrow’s DRM (delegation registration meeting), organizers will hear a lot from the delegates,” said Romasanta, who as head of delegation was brought to the Athletes Village from the airport on a separate car.

He vowed never to ride the same vehicle again with the same driver.

“It was like he only learned how to drive yesterday. I thought I was going to die,” said Romasanta, who raised his concern before the liaison officers, and was told that a new driver would be assigned to him the following day.

“I’m not a person who complains but that driver is perhaps deadlier than the Zika virus,” he said.

The Filipino delegation arrived from Dubai via Emirates, on a flight that also carried a number of Rio Olympics delegates from countries like Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Uganda. Delegates from among the 206 countries are starting to pour in.