FIVE bemedalled athletes led by Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz make up the list of candidates for Philippine flag-bearer in the coming 30th Southeast Asian Games.
Diaz's name was among those being considered by Phippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman and chef de mission William 'Butch' Ramirez and his six deputies to carry the country's colors during the opening ceremony set on Nov. 30 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The others on the list are skateboard stalwart Margielyn Didal, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, boxer Eumir Marcial, and gymnast Carlos Yulo.
The list of flagbearer candidates were made available on Thursday.
Diaz clinched the country's first silver medal in the Olympics in 20 years during the weightlifting competitions of the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Games.
Two years later, she won a gold medal in the Indonesia Asian Games, along with Didal, golfer Yuka Saso, and the women's golf team.
Marcial meanwhile, bagged a silver medal in the recent Aiba World Boxing Championship in Russia; Yulo won a bronze in last year's World Gymnastics Championships, and Obiena became the country's first athlete to qualify for next year's Tokyo Olympics.
Ramirez and his deputies hope to formally name their choice in two weeks' time.
The six deputy chef de missions are PSC ommissioners Ramon Fernandez, Charles Maxey, Celia Kiram, and Arnold Agustin, along with Stephen Fernandez of taekwondo and Ada Milby of women's rugby.
The selection team, however, is not discounting the possibility of all five athletes serving as flagbearers for the country during the opening ceremony of the biennial meet.
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