Thais put best foot forward in Nakhon

NAKHON RATCHASIMA – The Main Press Center offers a vast, two-story working area for about 2,000 journalists and photographers while the Broadcast Center provides an even greater space and facilties for 1,000 broadcasters from 11 countries.

The Main Press Center alone has installed over 200 powerful HP computers, enough for just everybody since most of the mediamen have brought their laptops. High speed is the name of the game, and this goes for the speed with which they hope to relay the results of the Games – expected to be better than the Manila SEA Games where a result in shooting in the morning was available only in the evening.

For the Thais, a person’s 80th birthday is an important milestone, and a special celebration is usually arranged for this occasion. To celebrate the 80th birthday of their king, the Thai people launched year-long celebrations from January, culminating tomorrow, on his birthday. One of the big events tomorrow is a candle-lit ceremony at 7 p.m., which will be held simultaneously in all provinces of Thailand.

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RP team managers are complaining they haven’t received the team uniforms for use in the parade during the opening ceremonies. They suspect something like this happened: The medical staff was upsized from 10 to 30 as a compromise the POC and PSC worked out after the controversial hiring of a dietician for the SEA Games. Dr. Raul Canlas, head of the Philippine Center for Sports Medicine, had his reservations on the POC move. The POC reacted by forming a medical mission that excluded Canlas and his staff.

Since the POC’s medical staff could not draw allowances because they are not government or PSC officials, the POC leadership accepted a compromise – merge both groups. So there are now 30 members of the medical staff, a team manager said. Another overstaffed section is the deputy chef de mission’s staff. There are three deputies and each has its own staff. Before only the chef de mission had a staff.  

All these personnel wear the uniforms allocated to the managers. “Kung gusto nila, sila na lang ang mag-attend ng parade. (If they wish, they can join the parade themselves),” he said.

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The organizers have thought about just the smallest details to ensure the success of the Games. They have an authentic Athletes Village where all the athletes and officials are billeted. The only matter they could not resolve was media billeting. All rooms in Ratchasima hotels had been booked as early as two months ago. Filipino journalists not yet in Ratchasima may have to get accommodation at out-of-the-way, ultra-expensive hotels – charging $200 a day – or low-cost hostels or apartments which do not offer such amenities as toiletries, linen, bedsheet, towels and charge you for electrical and water consumption.