All-star cast banners Phl Team

A star-studded squad featuring Olympic medalists, professional campaigners, Asian record holder and other outstanding athletes will be seeing action for Team Philippines in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.

No less than Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Tolentino” broke the news to DAILY TRIBUNE, saying that the best Filipino athletes will be on the national roster in the prestigious biennial meet set from 9 to 20 December in three Thai cities.

Leading the charge will be Hidilyn Diaz, Carlos Yulo, Ernest John Obiena and Alex Eala — three athletes who have brought so much pride to the country.

At 34, Diaz still has what it takes to conquer the SEA Games after winning the country’s first ever gold medal in the weightlifting competition of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Yulo will also surely dominate in gymnastics as he will come in as a double-Olympic gold medalist in the Paris Olympics while Obiena is the seventh-best pole vaulter in the world and a powerhouse in Asia. Eala, of course, is the hottest Filipino athlete right now after putting up a string of impressive performances in the Women’s Tennis Association tour, sending her to No. 57 in the world ranking.

The fancied Gilas Pilipinas, bannered by naturalized players Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame, will also see action in the men’s basketball event with a stronger lineup after organizers imposed the “passport-only” eligibility rule among all competitors.

With the kind of lineup, Tolentino is optimistic that Team Philippines will pull off another memorable performance.

“Almost everybody will be there. Alex Eala and EJ (Obiena) will be there,” Tolentino said during the signing of the memorandum of agreement with Smart and Sports Plus at Gameville Ball Park in Mandaluyong on Wednesday night.

“It’s definitely an all-star team. Even in basketball, the squad has a lot of surprises.”

The national delegation will have a tough act to follow after winning 58 gold medals in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia for its best ever golden production in any edition of the meet held outside the country.

But with an array of stars, the Philippines is gunning to break through the 60-gold medal mark, a target that will further highlight the golden age of Philippine sports.

“All you need is a passport to play,” Tolentino said.

“So as long as you have a passport, that’s it.”