Tagaytay City will host the Philippine leg of the torch relay for the Cambodia 32nd Southeast Asian Games on March 27, according to Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president, Representative Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, on Wednesday.
The torch relay began Tuesday around the World Heritage Site Angkor Wat in Siem Reap with 45 days to go before the SEA Games opening ceremony on May 5.
In the Philippines, the torch relay will be staged at the Tagaytay City BMX and Skatepark near City Hall starting at 7 a.m. with Tolentino and POC officials welcoming Cambodia’s Ambassador to the Philippines Phan Peuv.
“The POC welcomes the Philippine leg of the torch relay, a solemn ceremony that formally signals Cambodia’s first-time hosting of the SEA Games,” Tolentino said in a news release.
Also gracing the event are embassy representatives from the SEA Games member countries, national athletes, para athletes and Tagaytay City students.
The torch relay left Cambodia Wednesday for Vietnam before heading to the Philippines. The relay will proceed to Brunei, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos before returning to Cambodia on April 27.
Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen led the torch-lighting ceremony at the famed Angkor Wat temple.
The host country is expecting 11,453 athletes and officials, with the Philippines fielding more than 800 in the 608-event, 38-sport Cambodia Games that will end on May 16.
The POC scheduled a formal sendoff ceremony for Team Philippines on April 15 at the Philippine International Convention Center. (PNA)
