Nine Filipinos, including two para athletes, will serve as volunteers in the 2024 Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Selected among 112 applicants in the program under the French Embassy in coordination with the France Volontaires-Philippines and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission were youth leaders Jeneca Rombaon and John Vincent Balawen, para-athletes Daisy Jane Omega and Brylle Samgel Arombo, athlete-coach Monica Chavez, basketball player Romina Manahan, taekwondo athlete Ezra Balingit, entrepreneur Isaac Jefferson Coloma and multimedia specialist Mari Gabrielle Faro.

A training course for the volunteers was held on April 25 and 26 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall, constituting lectures aimed to awaken their sense of pride.

They also participated in sports and volunteering activities such as FIBA Draw Festival, Sports first-aid training, French language class, and French Volunteering Day as part of their preparation.

France Volontaires-Philippines national representative Nanette Repalpa said the nine volunteers will stay in France from four to eight months. (PNA)