ASIAD notes 

Smiling face

Filipina skateboarder Margie Didal, known for her skills, jolly demeanor and an infectious smile, is already in town to defend the women’s street gold that she won in the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia. But Didal,  tasked to carry the flag for Team Philippines in Saturday’s opener, along with pole vault star Ej Obiena, is coming off an ankle injury that required surgery, and 11 months of recovery. “We’ll see how it feels. As of now, focus on recovery and getting comfy with my board. ‘Yung goal here is to make the finals and the podium,” said the pride of Cebu. She sees action on Tuesday at the Qiantang Roller Sports Center.

Haven for mediamen

Organizers of this Asian Games are doing things the way it should be done – at least for the hundreds, or thousands, of accredited media. From the airport, they are transported in buses to the Media Village, which is like a Serendra on steroids. At nearly 20 hectares, it houses 18 residential buildings 30 storeys high, with 2,500 rooms available. Pinoy mediamen are staying in three units with three bedrooms each. Inside the village are convenience stores, coffee shops, merchandise outlets, meditation rooms, a 24-hour medical center, free condoms and a dining hall that can easily seat 2,000. Food and drinks come in abundance at a friendly price of 20 yuan per stub, per meal (roughly P150). There’s no beer inside the village. But no one’s complaining.

Filipinas happy bunch

Members of the Philippine women’s football team, collectively called Filipinas, must have gone to the bank before heading to the 19th Asian Games here. Philippine Football Federation (PFF) secretary-general Atty. Edwin Gastanes said those who saw action in the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup, most of whom will be here to compete, have received their cash bonus from FIFA. “Kabibigay lang namin ng bonus nila,” said the PFF official. Each member of the team received their share of $30,000 (roughly P1.6 million) while those who were cut from the final lineup got their own share. “Not as big pero malaki na rin,” said Gastanes. The Filipinas will make their debut against Hong Kong at 4 p.m. today, hoping to, once again, bring glory to the country.