2018 Asian Games opens in Jakarta

AN Asian Games Johnny-come-lately, Filipino-American basketball player Jordan Clarkson will be trying out six new Barong Tagalogs to fit his size as he takes the spotlight as the country’s standard-bearer during the opening ceremonies of the continental sports showcase on Saturday at the sprawling Gelora Bung Karno Stadium here.

“Those were only oversize ones left so we shipped de mission Richard Gomez, who arrived on a Phil with some Filipino athletes, of the national costume designed by noted couturier Randy Ortiz. “I hope

Made out of silk, the barong sports an em breasts and will be worn by the over 270-man national contingent, with the 6-foot-4 Cleveland Cavalier mainstay at the helm, during the inaugural rites starting at 7 p.m. ( 8 p.m. in Manila) Saturday at the 80,000-capacity stadium.

Gomez bared that he had endorsed Clarkson as the general Pato Gregorio “because Clarkson is a good role model who has reached the pinnacle of being a Filipino basketball athlete by playing in the NBA. He

He pointed out that bestowing the honor on a Fil-Am was also sending a message that “whether you are Filipino born overseas or locally, we are just

Clarkson will be taking off his barong and will finally make his national team debut on Aug. 21 against China in Group D of the Asian Games men’s basketball qualifiers, proudly wearing a Philippine jersey.

Ordeal to Palembang

Competing in the Asian Games is a challenging experience in itself, but more so for Filipino athletes bound for Palembang, the second hub of the continental multi-sport competition in the provincial capital of South Sumatra, even before they set foot in the playing arena.

This was the fate suffered by a small Filipino contingent composed of the lawn tennis, shooting and medical teams, which straggled in Palembang like Fridaymorning into the Asian Games Athletics Village following an overnight layover in Jakarta.

Arriving near midnight in the Indonesian turbulence, the Filipino bets were shuttled to the domestic terminal and had to cool their heels for another six hours, most of them hardly getting a wink at the stuffy Asian Games lounge.

The distance to the entrance to the luggage counter inside the terminal is close to a kilometer, to Palembang.

It was an ordeal for the Filipino shooters, who were two hours over the ammunition that they brought in, particularly for trap shooter Hagen Topacio.

- tion and not seen in the Asian Games computer system, Topacio, a two-time Asian Games veteran, was forced to surrender his supply worth P15,000 in Jakarta.

“I was informed earlier by organizers that there would be no ammunition for sale at the shooting range so took the precaution of bringing my 2010 and 2014 Asiad editions in Guangzhou and Incheon, respectively.

Topacio, whose family is in the arms business back home, shrugged off the expense and said he would just buy bullets at the shooting range after learning they are available there.

The lot of the five- man tennis squad, led by coach Chris Cuarto, was just as trying after learning that all of them did not have the proper credentials, which would have barred them from entering the Athletes’ Village inside the Jakabaring Sports Complex.

Making matters worse, Cuarto together with Alberto Lim Jr., Jeson Patrombon, Francis Casey Alcantara and Marian Jade Capadocia had to take an hour’s train ride to the Games Village, entering

said Philippine Secretariat staff Liza Ner while looking on at the tired and haggard athletes.

“This was (quite) a challenge but you can’t allow noted Charles Corpus, the chief of the medical team here, with a wry smile.

Let the succeeding Palembang-bound Asian - nitely not for the faint of heart.