CHICAGO - When I think of golf, a few things come to mind: Lush greens, expensive equipment and pricey club memberships.
Celebrated as the "game of kings," a playground where business deals and friendships are forged, golf evokes affluence, abundance and elegance.
Sadly, all of the above didn't appear to apply to our golfers competing in the Paris Olympics.
READ PH golfer Dottie Ardina fumes over lack of uniform - then shoots fiery 69
In a video that has since gone viral, nuclear, Olympic golfer Dottie Ardina is seen trying to attach a patch-sized Philippine flag on her golf tee by using adhesive tape.
The visual of Ardina's creative improvisation didn't manifest confidence and it is likely to put our country in the fairways of third-world jokes.
"Doblehin natin ang tape baka matuklap to mamaya, eh," (Will double the tape because it might detach later) " the 31-year from Laguna sighed.
And then she talked out loud about the misery of hers and her teammate Bianca Padganganan's fate.
CRY FOR HELP
"Sana all with uniforms. Kami lang ang wala. Kailangan bumili pa ng t-shirts. Diyos ko, ano bang klaseng Olympics ito?"
You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to know what's missing here:
So, where are the darn uniforms?
In an official statement, the POC explained the faux pas, a narrative which seemed plausible. That statement also had more holes than a, well, golf course.
The POC said the disapproval of the golf apparel submitted to the IOC resulted in a change that was sent "a week prior to the opening."
Look, I believe in things "beyond our control," but the Olympics are a quadrennial event. There's plenty of time to make sure apparels for all sports disciplines are approved at least a month before the competition.
IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?
Another explanation was that French customs withheld the package containing the golf apparel and it wasn't released on time "despite the best efforts made by the officials."
Having already known that they were behind the 8-ball, did the POC consider sending the package through the Philippine embassy in Paris where the diplomatic chains would have expedited the delivery?
Given the time constraint, was the idea of simply having one of our delegation officials hand-carry the golf uniforms considered?
Amid all the kerfuffle, National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) secretary-general Bones Floro asked the public to "just focus on the golf."
I'm sorry, sir. But I'm afraid we can't conveniently give the federation a bowl of water to wash its hands.
National pride
In these Olympics, or any other international meets, uniforms are as important as the games itself. Uniforms are billboards to national pride. It cannot be trampled on.
Somebody dropped the golf bag. Dottie and Bianca deserved better than feeling like being left on an island.
And as the world watched, Philippine golf, a non-contact sport, just suffered a huge black eye.
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