POC: Initial set of golf uniforms disapproved

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) on Saturday said there was a delay in the uniform of the golf team because the initial set sent by apparel sponsor Adidas was disapproved.

But it didn’t meet International Olympic Committee requirement, according to the POC statement, forcing them to make immediate changes on the uniform.

The new versions, though, were sent just a week before the opening ceremony, according to the POC.

The uniform fiasco has become viral after golfer Dottie Ardina posted videos of her putting flag patches on their shirts before seeing action at Le Golf National.

It prompted sporting fans — watching the golf events online through midnight — to call out the National Golf Association of the Philippines, considering it only had two players in Paris.

“Several boxes of apparel containing competition gear were sent through courier directly to Paris,” said the POC statement.

“However, the French customs held the package carrying the competition gear and despite the best efforts made by the officials, the gear was not released in time.”

The POC added: “Sets of competition gear were arranged to be produced locally in Paris.”

“During the practice rounds, Ms. Pagdanganan wore the Adidas apparel, while Ms. Ardina wore the competition uniform during the first round. However, during the succeeding rounds, the athletes opted to wear their personal attire with the positive impression of sporting the Philippine flag, which our Pinay athletes managed to improvise.”

Unfortunately, it didn’t sit well with the Filipino sports community online and was termed “Tapalgate,” for the adhesive tapes crudely used in attaching the flag patches.

“On the issue of corruption, first of all, the set of apparel is free from the official sponsor, Adidas. There was no monetary arrangement in the supply,” added the POC statement.