ALEX Eala and Carlos Yulo lead the 464 athletes in 39 sports that will fly the flag for the Philippines at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) submitted the full list of athletes on Monday with Eala and Yulo among the notable names that are also strong favorites to win a gold medal in their respective events.
Eala is ranked No. 18 in the world, second in Asia behind No. 13 Naomi Osaka but the Japanese star is not entered in the Asian Games. After her exit in the US Open, the Filipina tennis superstar is reportedly skipping the China Open, a WTA 1000 event, to play for the country in the Asiad where she won two bronze medals (singles, mixed doubles) in Hangzhou, China three years ago.
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Yulo, a two-time Olympic artistic gymnastics champion, is vying for his first-ever Asiad gold on the heels of topping the floor exercise of the Asian Championships last June in Zunyi, China.
Annie Ramirez, EJ Obiena, Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team, and Daniel Caluag are also back to reaffirm their status as Asia’s best.
Ramirez looks to defend her crown after winning in jiu-jitsu’s ne-waza 57kg division in Hangzhou, China three years ago. She is also the reigning world champion in the weight category.
Obiena returns for his bid to win the Asiad gold in pole vault for the second straight time, and after recovering from injuries that hampered his performance after the 2024 Paris Olympics where he placed fourth.
Gilas is also eyeing a title repeat in men’s basketball after winning the country's first Asiad gold in 51 years. It will be a totally different team this time, with Justin Brownlee, the only holdover from the last Asiad, still uncertain to play this time.
Caluag will be seeking to reprise his 2014 victory in Incheon in the BMX cycling discipline.
Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio (silver, 2020; bronze, 2024), Carlo Paalam (silver, 2020), and Aira Villegas (bronze, 2024) banner the boxing squad that will be without Eumir Marcial due to his upcoming TV debut.
Swimmer Kayla Sanchez, the most bemedalled Filipino athlete at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand with eight, will be competing again in the quadrennial event after making her Philippines debut in the Hangzhou Asiad.
World juniors champion and world record holder Albert delos Santos and Tokyo Olympian Elreen Ando are part of the five-person weightlifting team in the Asiad.
Former world taekwondo juniors champion Tachiana Mangin will mark her Asian Games debut as she competes in the women’s 49kg category.
The Alas Pilipinas women’s and men’s volleyball team will also be on hand for the Asian Games along with the Gilas women’s basketball team, Filipinas women’s football side, the U-23 team in men’s football, the Blu Girls in women’s softball, and men’s baseball squads.
Wushu has Hangzhou Asiad bronze medalist Jones Inso and six-time SEA Games gold medalist Agatha Wong in its roster in the taijiquan and taijijian events.
Professionals Bianca Pagdanganan and Pauline Del Rosario (LPGA Tour), Justin Delos Santos (Japan Tour), and Miguel Tabuena (Asian Tour), and former US Open Amateur and Girls champion Rianne Malixi comprise the Philippine golf squad.
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