Ian Delos Santos, Aira Villegas named PH flag bearers for Asian Games

Weightlifting’s Albert Ian Delos Santos and boxing’s Aira Villegas are named the Philippines’ flag bearers for the 2026 Asian Games. –INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS/AP

MANILA, Philippines — Weightlifter Albert Ian Delos Santos and boxer Aira Villegas will carry the Philippine flag in the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Delos Santos and Villegas were named as flag bearers for the Asian Games opening on Thursday during the Team Philippines’ official send-off event at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Alex Eala, the 2025 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and flag bearer, was considered again to carry the flag, but she won’t be available due to the Singapore Open, which happens before the Games in Japan.

Delos Santos, a rising young weightlifter, was a silver medalist in the Thailand SEA Games and recently won three golds in the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships.

Villegas, meanwhile, is part of the experienced Philippine boxing team that will compete in the Asian Games. She won a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics and silver in last year’s SEA Games.

During the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Margielyn Didal and EJ Obiena served as the flag bearers for the Philippines.

This year’s Asian Games officially open on September 19,  but action began on Thursday with the men’s basketball competition.