MikeLigalig.com

MANILA, Philippines – The main group of athletes and officials making up Team Philippines will leave for Beijing on August 5, or three days before the 29th Olympic Games comes off the wraps.

Chief of Mission Monico Puentevella and Olympic attaché Arturo Macapagal head the delegation composed of 37 athletes, coaches and officials that will take the four-hour trip via Philippine Airlines flight on that day.

Joining the two officials are: Marestella Torres and Henry Dagmil of athletics, Harry Tañamor of boxing; Sheila Mae Perez and Rexel Ryan Fabriga of diving; Daniel Coackley, Ryan Paolo Arabejo, Miguel Molina, James Walsh and Joan Christel Simms of swimming, and Hidilyn Diaz of weightlifting.

Also on the flight to the Beijing capital are: coaches Patricio Gaspi, Joseph Sy, Juan Enrique Tissert, Zhang Dehu, Jason Calanog, Carlos Brosas, and Ramon Solis; press officer Joey Romasanta, Ricardo Yang, Mark Joseph, doctors Martin Camara, Alejandro Pineda and Orson Odulio.

Shooter Eric Ang and archer Mark Javier will be accompanied by coaches James Chua and Jennifer Chan when they head to Beijing on July 31, while the taekwondo team made up of Toni Rivero and Tshomlee Go and coaches Raul Samson and Kim Hong Sik will leave on August 11.

The first group going to Beijing is composed of Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) treasurer Julian Camacho, administrative official Moying Martelino and administrative assistant Eleanor de la Pena, who are leaving Tuesday morning to attend the delegations’ registration meeting scheduled at Wednesday morning.

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee will join President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the President’s husband Mike Arroyo, POC president Jose Cojuangco, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez, Senator Gringo Honasan and several others in another PAL flight taking off on August 7.

Pacquiao has been appointed by the President as the country’s special Olympic envoy and will march as flag-bearer during the parade of nations.

In its first official act as member of the Olympic family in Beijing, Team RP will participate in the flag-raising rites along with several other nations in the morning of August 4.

According to Martelino, the five Filipinos who are seeing action in wushu, a special event in this Olympiad, will join Ang, Javier, Camacho, Martelino, and de la Pena during the brief flag-raising rites to be supervised by Athletes Village mayor Chen Zhili, a senior communist party official.

The vast Athletes Village opened last Sunday in a ceremony attended by basketball star Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets and more than 200 other Chinese medal hopefuls.

Home to the athletes up to the closing days of August, the village is made up of 42 apartment blocks each equipped with high-speed Internet access and containing more than 9,000 bedrooms.

It has restaurants, a clinic, a library, shops and sports facilities that will be open for 24hours. – GMANews.TV

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=14153.0