baron-pierreIV Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 This from The Manila Times... Pacquiao to carry Philippine flag at Olympics Boxing icon Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao has been chosen to carry the Philippine flag at the opening parade of next month’s Beijing Olympics, despite being a professional athlete and unable to fight in the 2008 Games. President Gloria Arroyo announced on Friday that she was designating the fighter, who won a fourth world title in a fourth weight class last month, as “special envoy to the Beijing Olympics,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters Friday. Pacquiao’s designation as flag-bearer seemed to have been well received by Mark Joseph, the president of the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association. Earlier, the association recommended to the Philippine Olympic Committee that swimmer Miguel Molina be made to carry the Philippine flag in Beijing. Its suggestion was accepted. I don't think President Arroyo knows what she's doing. Isn't accreditation up to BOCOG and the IOC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwebb Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Certainly competing pro athletes have carried flags in the past, such as Roger Federer in Athens. But I can't think of another case like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olympian Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 per recent reports on Philippine Newspapers, BOCOG seems to have ok'd the move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkWithBode Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Didn't Dawn Staley (pro women's basketball player) carry the U.S. flag in 2004? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkWithBode Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Didn't Dawn Staley (pro women's basketball player) carry the U.S. flag in 2004? Oops, didn't see that this guy will carry the flag despite not even being a competitor at the Olympics. That definitely seems odd; I've never heard of it before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memorabilia Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 Nowdays, most of the athletes competing at an international level are pro... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olympian Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 except boxers sicne boxers turns pro after the Olympics. has any boxer reinstated from pro to amateur status? i don't think this has happend before. he's not even competing which is i'll be greatly insulted if i was competing. a competitor should carry the flag not the biggest athlete in your country who's not even competing at the games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm Jeremie Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 except boxers sicne boxers turns pro after the Olympics. has any boxer reinstated from pro to amateur status? i don't think this has happend before. he's not even competing which is i'll be greatly insulted if i was competing. a competitor should carry the flag not the biggest athlete in your country who's not even competing at the games. I agree. But then, in the past, "Chef de Mission" have sometimes carried the flag for their team not even an athlete... My understanding is that it is the NOC that has the final word on the flag bearer selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 Maybe I'm totally wrong -- but I think I've read somewhere that a retired or winter athlete once carried a nation's flag in a summer opening ceremony. Or maybe it's the other way round, and it was a summer athlete at the Winter Games. At least this story doesn't appear completely new to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olympian Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 well Michel Platini did lit the torch at the Albertville Games so i think that was somewhat insulting for the French Winter Athletes. Jean Claude Killy should've been given that honor but he was part of the Albertville OCOG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTHarner Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 Anybody can be a flag-bearer. Athletes, coaches, team managers, chefs de mission, NOC leaders, past Olympians, and even honorary guests have carried flags in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingspread Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 Yet another foolish our-country's-****-but-pacquaio-will-save-the-day-anyway-never-mind-about-national-crises show. Rather meaningless and superficial. They should have just followed the same reason for picking the flagbearer in Athens: let the athlete who's the last chance of getting a medal among the team during the games carry the flag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memorabilia Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 except boxers sicne boxers turns pro after the Olympics. has any boxer reinstated from pro to amateur status? i don't think this has happend before. he's not even competing which is i'll be greatly insulted if i was competing. a competitor should carry the flag not the biggest athlete in your country who's not even competing at the games. Boxers at the olympics are not 'pro' as they do not win monney directly from their fighting... But they are professional sportsmen as they are being paid to train.... (by a sponsor, by a federation, by their state....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted July 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 except boxers sicne boxers turns pro after the Olympics. has any boxer reinstated from pro to amateur status? i don't think this has happend before. he's not even competing which is i'll be greatly insulted if i was competing. a competitor should carry the flag not the biggest athlete in your country who's not even competing at the games. I totally agree with you. It was/is insulting to those other athletes who've worked hard w/o the monetary gains that Pacquio has made. Not to take anything away from him, but the other athletes who probably won't get a medal or even get into thefinals, should've have at least have had the HONOR. This is one move I would lecture GMA on if I could. She's too blinded by "Pacquio.' Now, why wasn't he big enough to decline the honor and say that it really 'belonged' to the originally chosen athlete (Molina)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenadian Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Our cult of celebrity rages on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryker Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 Evander Holyfield carried the torch in Atlanta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingspread Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 except boxers sicne boxers turns pro after the Olympics. Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco (silver medal, light flyweight, Atlanta '96) comes to mind. Remember his unsuccessful venture into showbusiness and comedy right after the Olympics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted July 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Evander Holyfield carried the torch in Atlanta. The torch-bearing honors are usually given to exemplary athletes of the area, of the sport. It has NOTHING to do with the question of this thread wherein a 'pro' athlete with NO Olympic connections whatsover displaces an already named amateur athlete by edict of the president of that country. It really smacks of TOTAL disrespect and (un)fairness for the status of amateur athletes. ALright, so Mr. Pacquiao will have 10 seconds of int'l fame as a flag-bearer. That's it; one of only 200 flag-bearers, 98% of whom are bonafide Olympic athletes unlike him. Wingspread, I don't know this Velasco fellow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenadian Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Evander Holyfield carried the torch in Atlanta. Evander also competed and won a bronze medal (in a controversial bout) at the 1984 LA Games. Being a well known, well liked, local Olympian, he got the nod to enter the stadium flame in hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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