Pinoys proud, hopeful

Delegation ready for olympics opener

MANILA, Philippines —  Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam will be in the forefront as flag-bearers of a 16-member Philippine representation in the never-done-before opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on Friday.

“We’ll be a proud and hopeful 16-strong Team Philippines in the opening ceremony,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino from Paris. He won’t be joining the parade of countries and will be sitting in the Olympic Family section on a bank along the Seine River.

Joining the two boxing silver medalists in Tokyo three years ago are their fellow boxers Aira Villegas and Hergie Bacyadan, hurdlers Lauren Hoffman and John Cabang Tolentino, swimmers Kayla Sanchez and Jarrod Hatch, gymnast Aleah Finnegan and fencer Samantha Catantan. Chef de Mission Jonvic Remulla and sports officials Michael Angelo Vargas (swimming), Marcus Manalo (boxing), Cynthia Carrion-Norton (gymnastics), Patrick Gregorio (rowing) and Terry Capistrano (athletics) will also be on the boat assigned for the Philippines in the lavish ceremony that starts at 7:30 p.m. (1:30 a.m. in Manila). Tolentino said boxer Eumir Felix Marcial, gymnast Carlos Yulo and rower Joanie Delgaco will open their campaign on Saturday and won’t be joining the parade as well as pole vaulter EJ Obiena, who wanted to focus more in his pre-Games preps in Normandy. The three weightlifters – Vanessa Sarno, John Ceniza and Erleen Ando – have yet to conclude their training in Metz and are due at the Olympic Village on Aug. 6.

“The schedule of our Olympian athletes have been meticulously crafted by their coaches so there won’t be hitches as they approach their competition days,” said Tolentino, who made the rounds of the Athletes Village after arriving in Paris on Wednesday and got to meet former multiple pro boxing champion Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin, or Triple G, who’s part of the Kazakhstan boxing team.

Completing the 22-athlete Team Philippines are gymnasts Emma Malabuyo and Levi Ruivivar, golfers Bianca Pagdangan and Dottie Ardina and judoka Kiyomi Watanabe. The Paris Games organizers described the opening ceremony as “bold, original and unique” that for the first time in Olympic history, the opening cwill not take place in a stadium but on the Seine River.