The Story Behind Team Philippines’ ‘Sinag’ Barong at the Paris Olympics

When Team Philippines sailed down the Seine during the Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony, its athletes wore a distinctly Filipino uniform designed for one of the Games’ most historic moments.

Filipino designer Francis Libiran created the “Sinag” barong, a piña-jusi piece paired with a detachable silk-organdy sling in blue, red and yellow. The design was commissioned by the Philippine Olympic Committee and worn by members of the delegation as they joined the first Olympic opening ceremony ever staged outside a stadium. Paris 2024 sent athletes along a six-kilometer route on the Seine, with more than 300,000 spectators lining the riverbanks despite the rain.

Libiran conceived the barong as a form of ceremonial armor for Filipino athletes. The off-white base keeps the traditional silhouette recognizable, while the sling carries sun-ray embroidery and Pintados-inspired patterns recalling the tattoo traditions associated with precolonial Visayan warriors. According to Libiran, the piece was meant to communicate bravery, hope and national pride rather than simply function as formalwear. The sling was deliberately positioned across the left side of the chest, creating the visual impression of carrying the Philippine flag close to the heart. The athletes’ bold red, blue and gold details also helped the delegation stand out against the otherwise restrained barong base.

The Philippines sent 22 athletes across nine sports to Paris 2024, although only part of the delegation participated in the opening parade. Olympic boxing medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam served as flagbearers, leading a 16-member Philippine group during the ceremony and sharing a boat with Poland and Puerto Rico. The Sinag barong also continued a longer design relationship between Libiran and Philippine sports: he previously created delegation uniforms for the 2019, 2022 and 2023 Southeast Asian Games. For Paris, however, the assignment marked his first time dressing Filipino Olympians—making the Sinag barong one of the most visible examples of contemporary Filipino fashion on the global sporting stage.

Which detail stands out most to you—the traditional piña-jusi barong, the flag-colored sling, or the Pintados-inspired embroidery?