Samba time in Rio: Let the Games begin
RIO DE JANEIRO – The opening ceremony of the XXXI Summer Olympics will be a Brazilian party even bigger, more colorful than its famous Carnival.
With over 300 dancers, counting beautiful Brazilian women, some half- naked and others in colorful costumes, it sure will look like a party that will never end.
On this night, samba music will fill the Rio air.
Over 10,000 athletes and close to 6,000 officials from 206 countries are in town for more than two weeks of sporting festival.
It’s the greatest show on earth with an estimated viewership of three billion.
The cold Brazilian weather will welcome the Olympians as they march inside the iconic Maracana Stadium, opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup.
In the finals of that World Cup, Brazil lost to Uruguay, 2-1. Up to this day, it’s remembered as the saddest in Brazilian football.
But on Friday, even the ghosts of Maracana will party.
Supermodel Gisele Bündchen will flaunt her million-dollar looks while soccer legend Pele, if he makes it to the opening, will thrill with his presence.
It was said that Pele was offered to light the cauldron.
The Philippine delegation, in their beautiful “barongs,” is expected to march in at 9:25 p.m. (8:25 a.m. in Manila), and based on script, will have a face time of 20 seconds.
President Duterte has earlier exhorted the Filipino Olympians to dish out their best and bring honor to the country as they slug it out with their world-class counterparts in their respective events.
He also promised to give incentives to those who will excel or churn out medal performances.
“It’s not official but if they do well, we will have something for them,” said the President during his meeting with
The STAR editors last Wednesday. During the courtesy call of the Phl contingent, the President boosted the morale of the Filipino Olympians by tripling their allowance to $3,000 from $1,000. The allowance of sports officials who will accompany them was also increased from $4,000 to $5,000.
For first-time Olympians in the small Filipino delegation, the parade will be the longest 20 seconds of their lives.
Ian Lariba, the first table tennis player from the Philippines ever to compete in the Summer Games, will carry the flag and flash her beautiful smile before the world.
Chef-de-mission Jose Romasanta and the other athletes and officials will wave the tiny Philippine flags and take selfies along the way.
Because Lariba is seeing action the following day, and carrying the pole may cause strain in her gentle hands, she will have to pass it on to POC official Col. Jeff Tamayo.
Taekwondo bet Kirstie Elaine Alora will end up holding the flag once she puts on the harness.
Millions of Filipinos will watch the opening ceremonies back home and from around the world. There are very few Filipinos here in Rio. But those who can will come.
Tickets to the opening ceremonies are more expensive than Brazilian gold, the cheap ones at a few hundred dollars and the most expensive ones perhaps enough to buy a car.
There are threats to this Summer Games.
Security threats and the Zika virus are foremost in the eyes of the organizers, and 85,000 members of the police and military are providing the blanket.
The controversy involving Russian athletes have also caused worries to the International Olympic Committee. But in the end, the Russians, at least for others, were allowed in.
There are 13 Filipino athletes among the thousands eyeing medals in 28 Olympic sports. They are the best there is in the country of over a hundred million.
The Filipino athletes, led by threetime Olympians Marestella Torres of track and field and Hidilyn Diaz of weightlifting, have gone through the eye of the needle just to get here.
“The crop of 13 athletes we have they are well prepared. They are here because they are the best in the Philippines,” said Romasanta on the eve of the opening.
Romasanta said nothing can discourage the Filipino athlete.
“Everything else is the least of the concern for our athletes. Their concern is being able to further improve and enhance their competitiveness until game time,” he said.
“They are not really concerned about or distracted by other things except focus on what they need to do. That’s what they are eagerly anticipating,” he added.
The others carrying the fight for the Philippines are boxers Rogen Ladon and Charly Suarez, swimmers Jasmine Alkhaldi and Jessie Khing Lacuna, track and field’s Eric Cray and Mary Joy Tabal, another weightlifter, Nestor Colonia, judoka Kodo Nakano and golfer Miguel Tabuena.
Cray and Nakano are arriving in Rio just hours before the opening ceremony that is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and expected to last late in the evening. Tabuena is flying in Saturday.
Then three of them, Lariba, Lacuna and Suarez, will kick off the Philippine campaign the following day, when they see action and hope to stay alive.
“It’s when and where the real business begins. And that’s what our athletes are eagerly anticipated. They are all going to do what they do best,” said Romasanta.
“It’s something which they have to prove to themselves, and they will compete as hard as they can,” he added.
For her first match, Lariba goes up against Congo’s Han Xing, at around noon here, which is close to midnight in Manila.
Lacuna will swim in the men’s 400m freestyle, hoping to look good against swimmers way faster than him. Then Suarez, a legitimate medal hope, takes on Great Britain’s Joseph Cordina in the early bouts of the lightweight division.
Romasanta said there’s no point pressuring the athletes to win the medal.
“Let’s just take things as they come. Whoever the opponent will be will be faced with equal competitiveness by our athletes,” he said.
“Even President Duterte did not mention anything about winning a medal. All he asked is for our athletes to give their best,” Romasanta, the POC vice president, said.
Lariba, ranked No. 297 in the world, is facing someone who’s ranked No. 125. But the first- time Olympian from the Philippines is not looking at the numbers.
“I talked to Ian and she’s not worried about any opponent she will face. Inevitably, she will have to face anyone of them,” said the chef-demission.
Security got tighter around Rio. The past two days were marred by bomb scares at the Olympic Aquatic Center and the Athletes Village.
“But the people are aware,” said Romasanta
Again, nothing can stop the Games.