The Philippines has broken into soaring heights with its most glorious Olympic streak yet, thanks to gymnast Carlos Yulo winning two gold medals in Men's Artistic Gymnastics. These victories mark the second and third gold medals ever claimed by the Philippines, the first being Hidilyn Diaz's historic win in Women's Weighlifting back in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Sadly, some lows have come with the highs. In a highly-circulated video posted by her mother, Gina Ardina, Filipino golfer Dottie Ardina shared that she was not given an official uniform for use during the competition.
Instead, she and Bianca Pagdanganan were seen wearing lime green collared tops for Round 3 of the Women's Golf Competition held at Le Golf National. Philippine flag patches were taped to their shirts, this being the only national symbol present on their attire.
WATCH: Golfer Dottie Ardina Reveals That She Was Not Given an Official Uniform for the Olympics
"Kakahiya. Sobrang daming tao, kami lang walang uniform." Ardina said in the video as she fixed the Philippine flag patch onto her top with double-sided tape.
"Kailangan pa bumili ng t-shirt. Ano bang klaseng Olympics ‘to," she said. "Shoutout naman diyan sa mga walang nagbigay, asan na ba uniform namin? Saan na napunta? Dadalawa na lang kami dito. 2 lang na atleta, kulang-kulang pa."
According to a report, the National Golf Association of the Philippines secretary general Bones Floro has apologized for the lapse, saying that the uniforms were shipped out, but did not reach Paris on schedule.
"Sorry about the uniforms... Our uniforms were stuck in customs; they weren't going to be released here in France and we had to make due with what we can. Hopefully, you guys can focus on their games and support us. Thank you," he was quoted saying in the same report.
Another report from a local golf blog stated that Floro made efforts to source shirts and headgear for the golfers that would meet the International Olympic Committee's strict guidelines on logo size and brand placement.
The report also noted that the official uniforms were still being held by French customs as of Friday, and that the Philippine Olympic Committee was doing its best to ensure the successful delivery of the items.
Netizens React to the Uniform Lapse at the Paris Olympics
Golf fans and general audiences had strong words to say on the matter, taking to social media to express their concerns. Many pointed out that restrictions were likely the same for all the other participating countries, pointing to poor planning on the part of the Philippine Olympic support team.
Who Provides the Official Uniforms for Olympians?
As national representatives for such an esteemed global event, olympians are provided official attire by athletic organizations from their home countries, with partnership deals being scored with choice brands. For the Village and Podium gear, the Philippine Olympic Committee partnered with Adidas. Meanwhile, the memorable opening ceremony saw Filipino delegates dressed in the radiant Sinag barong by Francis Libiran.
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