ORGANISATION or ?...
The delegation from Kiribati will have approx. 15 people, three of whom will be competitors. This is par for the course, with more officials and hangers-on than those for whom the Games were intended !
So it is not just the misfortunes which seem to cling to the arrangements of KAA, because our two athletes are only a small part of the "team". There are officials from KAA also included, e.g our Treasurer Mrs. Rusila Mwea and Coach Mr. Tonana George. Unfortunately the latter cannot find his passport, which means that we might have to rely on the coach from another country to assist and advise our two athletes !
Then there is the Accreditation story ! The BOCOG Accreditation Department decided to send our Accreditation Cards in two batches, more than three weeks apart. Since the Card also counts as a Chinese visa, four of the second group flew out yesterday to Fiji to get visas from the Chinese Embassy in Suva, so that they can actually get on the plane to Beijing ! These include our female athlete, Kaitinano Mwemweata, going to her second Olympics.
A CHEAPER ROUTE ?
Then there is the chosen route. Apparently there is a special deal offered by Air Pacific, but it involves flying via Narita (Tokyo) and making an overnight stop there. (This in preference to flying more direct via Australia !) This makes it necessary for the I-Kiribati to have Japanese visas, an added complication. Even the Chef de Mission, Mr. David Collins, is caught up in this confusion because he is due to fly out on Tuesday, July 29, in advance of the main group. One of his priorities is to get a Japanese visa for himself to be able to get to Beijing as planned for his Delegation Registration Meeting (DRM).
So, for the team from Kiribati, the significance of whether or not the air will be breathable in Beijing is lost in actually trying to get there !
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS ?
With the main team (except the KNOC President whose departure will be delayed because of work commitments) still meant to leave on Thursday, July 31, and a Delegation Meeting due on Monday afternoon, we will see what further developments there are before departure and en route !
Rabangaki continued training until tonight (July 29) and assisted others hoping to follow him ! (See photos.) The Delegation is still aiming at Thursday for departure.
Tonana has not found his passport but is hoping to get a replacement by Thursday !
Last Modified on 29/07/2008 21:07