TOKYO—Cris Nievarez kicks off Team Philippines's campaign on Tokyo Bay some 12 hours before Tokyo unveils what is perceived to be the most high-tech opening ceremony of the Games that were postponed for a year and still struggling—but managing—to combat Covid-19.

But a day before Nievarez plunges into the heats of rowing's men's singles sculls at the Sea Forest Waterway at 9 a.m. Japan time on Friday, Team Philippines officials made a stern decision of sending home a coach whose virus tests yielded conflicting results.

"While waiting for another confirmatory test, I have ordered our chef de mission [Mariano Araneta] to separate him [coach] from our team," Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino told members of the Philippine media on Thursday morning.

"If the next result is negative, we are sending him home. If he again tests positive, he will be brought to a quarantine hospital," Tolentino said.

The daily tests at the Olympic Village on athletes and coaches yielded a false positive test on the coach, prompting his isolation and a confirmatory test, which turned out be negative. A third test, however, yielded another false positive on the coach, who already ran a fever.

Armed with two negative RT-PCR tests, the coach passed the rigid screening at the Narita airport.

"The coach must have gotten it on the plane or at the airport, during the incubation period," Tolentino said.

"To further mitigate the risks to the Philippine team, we have decided to separate the coach from the delegation," POC Secretary General Edwin Gastanes said.

Tolentino, however, said the issues on the coach won't affect the entire campaign.

"Maybe, to the national sports association involved, they are affected because they lost a coach, but to the rest of the Team Philippines, I don't see their morale going down because of this. Everyone is in high spirits and raring to go to battle for the country," said Tolentino.

Nievarez, meanwhile, set a modest goal of finishing at least third in his star-laden heat to advance deep into the rowing event.

"The target is to beat Nicaragua and Benin," Nievarez, 21, told BusinessMirror on Thursday, a day before the pandemic Olympics open at the National Stadium.

Nievarez needs to wind up third in Heat 5—which includes Croatia's Damir Martin, silver medalist at Rio 2016, and Alexander Vyazovkin, a three-time world indoor (ergo) champion—to advance to the quarterfinals.

World champion Carlos Yulo, on the other hand, decided to drop his signature triple back and double forward routine—his primary weapon in the men's floor exercise—after a bad landing while training two weeks ago.

Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion said Yulo continued to nurse his right hip while training on Thursday. The Filipino world champion's competition starts on Saturday (July 24) with the qualifiers.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William "Butch" Ramirez and Chief of Staff Marc Velasco arrived here on Thursday bringing with them government's full support to the 19-athlete delegation.

Ramirez said he is the "humble representative of millions of Filipinos, who wish the athletes success."

"The quadrennial meet will be under a very different circumstances, but know, that you, athletes, are not alone as millions of Filipinos back home will be glued to their screens, cheering and praying for you. Today, I am not just a sports official, I am a father, proud to see his children achieve and see that their dreams are within reach," Ramirez said.

The Olympic team includes Ernest John Obiena (athletics), Eumir Felix Marcial (boxing), Irish Magno (boxing), Nesthy Petecio (boxing), Carlo Paalam (boxing), Hidilyn Diaz (weightlifting), Kurt Barbosa (taekwondo), Margielyn Didal (skateboarding), Elreen Ando (weightlifting), Jayson Valdez (shooting), Juvic Pagunsan (golf), Kiyomi Watanabe (judo), Kristina Knott (athletics), Yuka Saso (golf), Bianca Pagdanganan (golf), Luke Gebbie (swimming) and Remedy Rule (swimming).

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