MANILA, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Filipino boxing champions Manny Pacquiao and Nesthy Petecio will light the cauldron at the opening ceremony of 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on Saturday.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham Tolentino revealed on Wednesday that the athletes would serve as torchbearers to officially mark the start of the biennial multi-sport event.
The eight-division world champion Pacquiao is regarded by many boxing historians and fans as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time, while 27-year-old Petecio, who ruled the featherweight division of the 2019 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships, is seeking her first gold medal at the SEA Games.
Gymnastics world champion Carlos Yulo was initially tipped to carry the torch but was replaced since he will immediately head into action on December 1.
The opening ceremony will take place at Philippine Arena in Bulacan Province in the northern Philippines, but the cauldron tower is located at the newly-built athletics stadium and aquatics center in New Clark City, Tarlac Province.
Tolentino and Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) chief operating officer Ramon Suzara did not divulge further details of the opening ceremonies.
"You will only know when you attend," Suzara said at the Wednesday's media briefing, noting that the means of lighting the SEA Games cauldron remains top secret.
"Everywhere you go, organizers won't tell you [about] the program," he added.
PHISGOC staged a dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony at Philippine Arena on Tuesday, according to Suzara.
"Everything is now in order," Suzara said.
The Philippines is to host the 2019 SEA Games for a fourth time, with this year's edition running from November 30 to December 11.
Over 10,000 athletes from 11 countries will see action in 56 sports and over 530 events spread across 39 venues on the country's main Luzon island.
