MANILA, Philippines — YOUNG swimming standout Jamesray Mishael Ajido will be the flag-bearer for a small Philippine contingent in the parade of athletes during the Opening Ceremony of the Fourth Youth Olympic Games (YOG) on October 31 in Dakar. Ajido, 16, and eight other Filipino athletes aged no older that 17 are competing in six of the 25 sports in Dakar 2026, the first time that an Olympic competition is being staged on African soil. “The YOG are as tough as the Summer Olympics,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who will fly to the Dakar this week ahead of the Opening Ceremony at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio that will feature the culture and music of the host country under the theme “Africa Welcomes, Dakar Celebrates.” An advanced party for Team Philippines headed by chef de mission Rocky Samson—secretary-general of the Philippine Taekwondo Association—took an arduous 29-hour flight over the weekend to Senegal that will be hosting for 14 days close to 3,000 athletes from 203 nations. Ajido and Riannah Chantelle Coleman are the country’s representatives in swimming and they will plunge into the swimming competitions that start on November 1, the same day wushu’s Angel Polo (Women's Taijiquan...
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