THE largest-ever Philippine contingent is ready for battle.
The 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA) formally kicked off on Tuesday night at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with Team Philippines showing its poise and pride in the parade of athletes.
Celebrating regional unity, culture, and connection, more than 1,000 athletes from the 11 participating countries took part in the opening ceremony of the biennial meet, which also paid homage to the multi-sport event’s origins in the host nation, Thailand.
It was a majestic opening as the King of Thailand, Vajiralongkorn, attended the ceremony and formally declared the opening of the Games.
In addition, Queen Suthida also graced the Rajamangala Stadium. The attendance of the Thai Royal family led to tighter security that eventually put the national stadium under lockdown hours before the event.
Team Philippines paraded 300 athletes and officials for the opening rites, with tennis sensation Alex Eala and Alas Pilipinas men’s volleyball standout Bryan Bagunas leading the pack as the country’s flag bearers. PH athletes, coaches, and officials marched with pride with their “Laro ng Lahi” parade uniforms designed by Avel Bacudio.
Among those in the parade were the country’s finest boxers, spearheaded by Olympic medalist Eumir Marcial and Nesthy Petecio, and the standouts of the Alas men’s and women’s volleyball teams.
A record-breaking 12,506 delegation — composed of national team veterans, up-and-coming stars, and multiple-time medalists will compete in the 50 sporting disciplines of the regional, where 574 gold medals are at stake.
Determined to surpass its last regional meet performance, Team Philippines are coming from a 58 golds, 85 silvers, and 117 bronze-medal tally in the 2023 Games in Cambodia. With the rise in the number of athletes this year, the Philippine Olympic Committee, Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, is confident that the country will bring home more gold than in the previous edition.
The 58 gold medals of the country Cambodia were already a six-medal improvement from the 2021 edition three years ago in Hanoi, Vietnam. The astounding 149 gold medal performance by Team Philippines in the country’s hosting of the biennial meet in 2019 remains the record for the most gold medal haul in PH history.