Tennis star Alex Eala and volleyball veteran Bryan Bagunas. PVL Media/AFP
MANILA -- Tennis star Alex Eala and volleyball talisman Bryan Bagunas will be the Philippines' flag-bearers in the opening ceremony of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand next week.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino announced their selection on Tuesday, highlighting the two athletes' impact both in and out of the sporting arena.
"Popularity aside, Alex and Bryan have made impacts in the global sports community and that makes them the best choice to carry the flag in the SEA Games," said Tolentino.
The 2025 SEA Games will officially open on Tuesday, December 9, in Bangkok.
Eala is coming off a breakout campaign in the WTA that saw her end the year as world No. 50.
Bagunas, for his part, captained the Alas Pilipinas men's national team during their historic campaign in the FIVB World Championship on home soil in September.
Tolentino stressed that athletes who have the most impact and inspirational appeal not only to their fellow athletes but also to the Filipino youth are prioritized when selecting the country's flag-bearers.
"It's about the inspirational appeal, the motivation and hard-work that reaps accomplishment that make an athlete or athletes the best choice for the chore," he explained.
Meanwhile, Tolentino also revealed that the Philippines has been assigned a 300-member delegation during the march around the Rajamangala National Stadium in the opening ceremony. However, the number can be trimmed to 200, because of the year-long mourning for Queen Sirikit and the Songkhla disaster.
The Philippines is fielding close to 1,700 athletes in the SEA Games that programmed 574 events in 50 sports and which will now be played in two main hubs—Bangkok and Chonburi—after Songkhla was written off because of massive flooding.
READ: SEA Games moves 11 sports because of deadly Thailand floods