Creamline Cool Smashers’ outside hitter, Alyssa Valdez, has the honor of bearing the national flag at the biennial Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Cambodia. The former Premier Volleyball League MVP will lead the opening ceremony parade for the Philippines, coupled with an all-female delegation of national athletes.
Valdez will appear at the 60,000-seat Morodok Techo Stadium in Phnom Penh on May 5 for the commencement festivities of the two-week event, as the national volleyball team will follow suit on Saturday.
⚛ #SEAGames2023 | Alyssa Valdez, Philippine 🇵🇭 national women’s volleyball team captain will be the flag bearer during the parade of athletes in the opening ceremony of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
📷 Instagram | @AlyssaValdez2 pic.twitter.com/4LgzAI4cI7
— SEA Sports News (@sea_sports_news) May 2, 2023
Eight years since her selection as the flag bearer of the 2015 SEAG, the 2023 edition poses a similar story of gratuity for the women’s volleyball national team captain.
“It’s such an honor to be the flag bearer for this year’s SEA games. It’s a big responsibility but I’m grateful for the trust given to me once again,” Valdez mentions.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Bambol Tolentino announced the statement of Valdez’s selection last May 2, 2023, indicating the former-Ateneo Lady Eagle was “the best choice for the role” as well as “the face of Philippine sports.”
Draped in an exclusive Francis Libran Barong Tagalog for the festivities, Alyssa Valdez’s roots extend well beyond volleyball, cemented as a catalytic individual in the local sporting culture. Apart from her extensive resume and on-court dominance, the San Juan, Batangas native established the “Volleyball Gives Back” initiative and several community-driven efforts at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
