Bungling Filipino Divers Watch Rio Olympics From Home

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Two Filipino divers are resigned to watch the 31st summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro from the comfort of their sofas after failing to qualify for the national team.

Daily Star reports:

Athletes from 206 nations will compete for gold across 42 sports, including golf and rugby-7s for the first time ever.

For many, it will be the biggest moment of their lives – the pinnacle of their sporting lives.

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For some however, Rio will be a painful reminder of what could’ve been after failing to qualify for the Olympic games.

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Introducing Filipino men’s springboard divers John Elmerson Fabriga and John David Pahoyo – two athletes who will be watching from the comfort of the sofa.

The pair made headlines around the world last year after their hilariously bad performances in the Southeast Asian Games in Singapore went viral.

Stepping up first, Fabriga attempts a complex triple-backflip manoeuvre, resulting in a calamitous reverse-bellyflop to gasps from the crowd.

Eager to rescue his diving partner, 17-year-old John Pahoyo marches on to the diving board.

Seconds later, he’s in the pool having frog-splashed his way into a zero from the judges.

“I even laughed at myself after I did this dive,” Pahoyo said later.

“I am still proud because not all of us has the privilege to represent our own country to such a big sporting event like this.

“And by the way can I ask all of you if you can still smile after getting embarrassed in front of thousands of people?”

The run up to the Rio olympics has been marred by controversy.

Experts have warned Team GB athletes not to breathe through their mouths because the city’s polluted air could damage “cause cancer in the long term”.

And officials at the Olympic base in Rio de Janerio managed to reportedly lose one of the sets of keys to the Maracana Stadium, eventually having to break in with a pair of bolt-cutters.