Courtesy: Philippine Olympic Committee
Team Philippines for the 2026 Asian Games and Asian Para Games received a final boost of morale during the official send off on Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
The Asian Games delegation is comprised of 464 athletes while the Asian Para Games roster has 70 para athletes.
Philippine Sports Commission chairperson John Patrick Gregorio, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino, and Philippine Paralympic Committee president Michael Barredo led the festivities.
Tolentino announced that Paris Olympics boxing bronze medalist Aira Villegas and rising weightlifting star Albert Ian Delos Santos will be the flag bearers at the opening ceremony on September 19.
It will be Villegas’ second time to carry the Philippine flag after doing so during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside gold medalist Carlos Yulo. The 31-year old Filipina boxer is already in Japan for the final phase of her training.
In a social media post by the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines, Villegas described the opportunity as one of the greatest honors of her life.
“It is one of the greatest honors of my life to be chosen as a flag bearer for the Philippines at the 20th Asian Games. To carry our flag is to carry the hopes, dreams, sacrifices, and prayers of an entire nation,” said Villegas.
Villegas also emphasized that the national colors represent Filipinos who continue to fight despite hardships, athletes who quietly make sacrifices for their dreams, families who provide unwavering support, and young Filipinos who believe that nothing is impossible with determination and perseverance.
“Ang bandila natin ay sumisimbolo sa bawat Pilipinong lumalaban sa kabila ng hirap, sa bawat atleta na tahimik na nagsasakripisyo para sa pangarap, sa bawat pamilyang walang sawang sumusuporta, at sa bawat batang Pilipino na naniniwalang walang imposible kapag may pangarap at tiyaga,” Villegas shared.
“Dadalhin ko ang ating bandila nang may dangal, tapang, at pusong Pilipino. Para sa Pilipinas. Para sa bawat Pilipino. Para sa pangarap,” she concluded.
Like Villegas, Delos Santos was also unable to attend the send off as he is busy preparing for his Asian Games debut under coach Julius Naranjo in Jala-jala, Rizal.
The young weightlifter heads into the Games with strong credentials after sweeping three gold medals at the 2026 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where he also established new world and Asian junior records.
He will also carry a proud family legacy in the Japan Asiad. His late father, Alvin, competed in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, while his mother Diwa was part of the 2002 Philippine team in Busan, South Korea. His sister Dessa also competed for the Philippines in 2018 in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia.
His mother and coach Diwa spoke with Sports Radio 918 on his behalf.
“Thank you po, PSC, POC sa tiwala na yung anak ko yung napili nyo as a flag bearer. I’m a proud mom, especially yung dad [Alvin] nya nasa heaven na. Sabi nga ni Ian, ‘para kay Papa Alvin ‘to,’ pangarap mo ito ‘Pa, ito na,” said Delos Santos.
Meanwhile, Gregorio formally turned over the Philippine flag to Tolentino, followed by the waving of the national flag – a symbolic signal of Team Philippines’ readiness as the country takes on Asia’s biggest sporting stage.
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