An advance party of the delegation arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday. Volleyball, swimming and judo are preparing in Asian territory.
The Dominican Republic is already present in Japan. The advance party of the Dominican delegation arrived last Tuesday in Tokyo with all the documentation required by the organizing committee of the Olympic Games for its official stay in the village.
This was informed to elCaribe by Gerardo Suero Correa, head of mission of the Dominican representation, who pointed out that the arrival of the delegation faced inconveniences at the Tokyo airport, but then they were overcome.
“First that it is a long trip and upon arrival at the airport, the process was also extensive with everything that must be presented, among these the tests of all the athletes sealed and in English of the laboratory that was in charge of making the samples, among other steps, but thanks to God we were able to get out well,” said Suero Correa.
The delegation that touched Japanese soil is integrated by Juan Antonio Febles and Marcel Vidal, from the technical direction of the Dominican Olympic Committee (COD), as well as by Dr. Lisette Sanchez, chief medical officer for Tokyo. “We are waiting for the first report on the delivery of the Olympic Village for our athletes, who must be admitted five days before their first competition,” said the mission chief.
But it is not only a commission of the delegation that is in the Asian city. The Queens of the Caribbean also had to make a long journey to reach the city of Okayama. The team departed last Friday for Japan from Las Americas International Airport with a route that included the air terminals of Newark, Los Angeles, Haneda and then Okayama.
The women’s national team is carrying out a routine of adaptation and preparation before their first game, scheduled for the 25th of this month against Serbia at 2:20 am (Dominican time).
Also in Japan are Krystal Lara and Josué Domínguez, both swimmers, who are concentrating in the city of Ishikawa. Meanwhile, diver Jonathan Ruvalcaba is still in Mexico and will leave this Sunday for Tokyo, according to the athlete himself, who informed elCaribe from the Aztec city. Likewise, judoka Robert Florentino recently set his preparation base in Japan.
Preparation outside Japan
The Dominican Republic will be present in ten sports disciplines. Most of these have their concentrations outside the country and are scheduled to arrive in Tokyo next week. In addition to volleyball, water sports and judo, there is athletics, which is preparing in Spain; taekwondo has several weeks in the Mexican city of San Luis Potosi. Boxing left last week for Russia, while the men’s baseball team is already in Clearwater, Tampa, and equestrian, with Yvonne Losos de Muñiz and Héctor Florentino, is concentrating in Europe.
Those who are still in the country in a preparation base are the members of the weightlifting team, working at the La Montaña Holiday Center in Jarabacoa, as well as Ignacio Vásquez, in rowing, at the Rincón dam in Bonao.
Towards Tokyo
Antonio Acosta and Gilberto García, president and secretary general of the COD, as well as Luis Mejía Oviedo, member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), are scheduled to leave for the Olympic Games this weekend. Suero Correa is scheduled to travel between the 23rd and 24th of this month.
