So far, two Mexican Olympians have competed in the Rio games with patched uniforms.
The first was weightlifter Bredni Roque Mendoza, who competed on Aug. 9 in the 69-kilo category and won fifth place for lifting 326 kilos.
Because the Mexican Olympic Committee (COM) didn’t bother to supply him with the appropriate uniform, he ended up having to use his normal workout clothes when he represented the nation in Rio.
And because those garments had insignias of private sponsors, he had to cover up the logos with patches of black electric tape in order to participate in the Games.
Mind you, it’s not that the COM didn’t supply Roque Mendoza with a uniform.
It’s just that it provided him a size extra-large when he is in fact a size medium, which meant that the body suit, which should have been molded to his frame, was too loose and cumbersome to be suitable for the competition.
Oh, yeah, and the COM didn’t bother to give Roque Mendoza the uniform until two days before the games began, which meant that it was too late to order the right size.
Roque Mendoza said that he had provided the COM information about his size more than a year ago, but, hey, anyone can make a mistake.
Except that then there was a second Mexican athlete who wore a patched uniform, boxer Elías Emigdio, who squared off against Mongolian Enkh-Amar Kharkhuu in the ring on Aug. 13 and won three-to-one.
In Emigdio’s case, the COM didn’t even bother to order a uniform. (Oops, we forgot.)
Feeling sorry for him, the U.S. Olympic Committee gave Emigdio a boxing uniform, which he wore, but, of course, he had to use those same electrical tape patches to cover up the U.S. flag and insignias.
Both athletes say that they are ashamed of the images of their patched uniforms in their respective competitions and wish they could have competed wearing the Mexican flag.
But it is not them who should be ashamed; it is the Mexican Olympic Committee and the National Sports Commission (Conade), which managed to twiddle away an annual budget of 37 million pesos ($2 million) on personal travel and lavish public relations lunches, but couldn’t be bothered to attend to the Mexican athletes’ most basic needs.
And adding insult to injury, it turns out that Conade head Alfredo Castillo’s girlfriend, who accompanied him to the games, was photographed in Rio wearing Mexican Olympic uniforms, even though she is not competing in any sport.
Mexico’s Olympians represent the best the country has to offer in the way of sports, and they should be the pride and joy of a nation where health and competition are valued.
And they should be provided the core elements they need to compete, like appropriate clothing.
The nation — and a despicable team of athletic professional carpetbaggers that make the FIFA gang look like a church choir — robbed these two fine athletes of the privilege of wearing the Mexican flag when they competed.
And it robbed the Mexican people of the chance to see their Olympic best wearing the national tricolor.
Shame, shame, shame on the COM and Conade.
Thérèse Margolis can be reached at therese.margolis@gmail.com.