Ardina calls for better equipment, management for athletes following Olympic uniform fiasco

Filipino Olympic golfer Dottie Ardina took to social media to recall and speak up about the uniform issues and equipment during the Paris Olympics. 

This, after a video of her raising concerns about the lack of proper uniforms and gears for the Philippine golfers during the Olympic stage became trending and center of controversy. 

Ardina says that the video was posted by her mother where she aired her frustrations over the lack of proper uniforms and equipment at the Games. 

She alleged that their official competition shirts from the Philippine Olympic Committee did not arrive and also, the alternatives provided for them did not comply with the rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

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

Ardina took it upon herself to buy the required apparel for her and her teammate Bianca Pagdanganan. The golf duo ended up using their own plain shirts, and Ardina shared patches with her teammate to match their outfits as best as they could.

Despite the incident, Ardina says she has no intention to cause any trouble and told her story in the hope that future athletes will get the gear they need and is required of them - on time and in the proper configurations - in the 2028 LA Olympics. 

In the end, Ardina expressed deep gratitude to those who supported her and Pagdanganan despite failing to secure an Olympic medal. 

Ardina finished at the 13th spot, a significant rise from her 40th place ranking during the opening round and Pagdanganan got the 4th place during the Women’s Golf competitions in the Paris Olympics.