PBA CHAIRMAN Victorico “Ricky” Vargas, a Thomasian, has been appointed the Philippines’s chef de mission for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has announced. 

As chef de mission, Vargas, a UST College of Science alumnus, will lead the country’s delegation of athletes and officials in the Olympics.

His responsibilities include overseeing the delegation’s logistics and addressing their needs for the duration of the games, which are scheduled from July 14 to 30, 2028.

The position was previously held by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who served as chef de mission during the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Vargas has been the governor of the PBA team TNT Katropa and chairman of the league since 2017.

He served as the 10th POC president from 2018 to 2019 and is currently the chairman of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines. 

During a POC assembly on Jan. 15, the committee also named chef de missions for key sporting events for 2025: Dr. Jose Raul Canlas for the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand and Stephen Arapoc for the World Games in Chengdu, China. 

Karate Pilipinas president Richard Lim will oversee the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, which is scheduled for February this year. The chef de mission for the Third Asian Youth Olympics Games, scheduled for October in Bahrain, has yet to be named.

For 2026 sporting events, PLDT CEO Al Panlilio was designated chef de mission for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, while Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez was appointed to the same role for the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy.

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