Should Manny Pacquiao Bear the Philippine Flag at the Olympics?
Image details: Manny Pacquiao v David Diaz served by picapp.com
Boxer Manny Pacquiao, who recently won the WBC lightweight championship, has been appointed as a special envoy to next month’s Summer Olympics in Beijing. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo personally chose Pacquiao to be the flag-bearer for the Philippines during the Games’ opening ceremony. He is to replace swimmer Miguel Molina, who was named the Best Male Athlete in the 2007 Southeast Asian Games, in the coveted role.
Pacquiao’s appointment, which occurred on Friday during a visit to Malacañang Palace, was approved almost immediately by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC). However, he still needs accreditation from the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games. There are several reasons why the appointment needs special approval from the Games’ organizers:
* The deadline for submission of participants passed on June 15, 2008.
* Pacquiao, as a professional boxer, will not compete in the Olympics. If approved, this will be the first time that the Philippine flag bearer won’t be a participating athlete.
* As a non-participant, Pacquiao has no authorization to enter the Athlete’s Village, where the athletes in the opening parade will come from.
I am of two minds regarding the appropriateness of Manny Pacquiao’s appointment as flag bearer. He won’t be the first professional athlete to perform this role. Yao Ming was already playing for the NBA’s Houston Rockets when he carried the Chinese flag at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Reports say that he will once again do the honors in Beijing. Tennis star Maria Sharapova is also reportedly performing the role for Russia. The difference between them and Pacquiao is that these two are Olympians. The POC and the President are allowed to choose whoever they want, and Manny Pacquiao has brought great honor to the Philippines with his accomplishments in boxing. However, is this enough?
Image details: 15th Asian Games Doha 2006 – Swimming served by picapp.com
To be picked as the Olympic flag bearer is a once-in-a-lifetime honor and a point of pride for the chosen athlete. While erstwhile flag bearer Miguel Molina has “gallantly stepped aside” for Pacquiao, I am sure he did not receive the news without disappointment. To have to give up the spot one month before the event, for a professional who is nevertheless a non-Olympian, would have been an unwelcome development to anyone.
The Olympics and the WBC are different arenas. Pacquiao has had his glory in the WBC. Is his star so bright that it should outshine the Filipino Olympians in their moment of glory?
19 Comments
If we will use professional accomplishments as basis, no doubt… Manny is qualified to be the flag bearer for the Olympics. However, there are rules to follow and it’s not right and unfair for Miguel Molina to just replace him right away.
Sure it will add more glitz and attention to the Philippine Olympic team if Pacman will carry the flag. However, I think Manny has had his more than fair share of the spotlight by now. It’s time to give other Filipino athletes the same opportunity and honor of carrying our national flag, literally.
This is not ‘crab-mentality’ as Pacman fans might say, this is just being fair and just to all our Filipino athletes.
I think appointing Pacquiao at the last minute is unfair to Miguel Molina.
Politics…that’s all that there is.
for me i think Manny Deserved the spot bcoz he has the status and the Glory of a Filipino and he is a Role Model to other Athletes and perharps other people..but if their are rules to follow well we must not break or make special requests coz its already a rule.. ^__^..
Here we go again, the filipinos are more willing to break rules and not ‘offend’ someone, than do the right thing: Miguel Molina deserve to be the flag bearer,for the simple reason that he is an olympian. Manny has made his riches through boxing, our olympic athletes has had little funding from the government and endured this situation to have the pride and not the finances to represent the Philippines. They are the true heroes, not the person who won so many millions of dollars and all of a sudden gets the honor. What are we telling all our athletes by doing this?
selfish action by pacquaio… he wants all the glory. He is a millionaire already and he treats money like candy..
Another example of Arroyo micro managing her committees – she should focus on empowering her committees to make their own decisions and then support them.
Pacquiao should have declined. It would have been a decent thing to do. But I guess decency is not high on the list.
[...] The Beijing Olympics has started! I’m so excited to watch the delayed telecast tonight. But there are many photos already coming out from the Opening Ceremony, and it looks absolutely fantabulous! I can’t wait to see our athletes’ entrance, led by flag bearer Manny Pacquiao. [...]
I just wanted to know why Pacman wasn’t competing in the first place. I think he could get gold, but maybe scoring is different. Anyways I don’t think he’s the only non-olympian to carry the flag. Alexis Arguello carried the flag for Nicaragua. I’m a Filipino born in America, but I would vote Pacman because I was proud to see the Philippines put on the major “Sports” map finally. He’s a world champ, maybe this is his way of passing on the torch to the next Filipino champion. Maybe the first Filipino gold medal champ will be Miguel Molina… then I’m sure Miguel will carry the flag next time. I wish the best! This is just an opening ceremony, the best reward is standing on that pedestal! Something that Manny might not ever do.
Quote: “Manny has made his riches through boxing, our olympic athletes has had little funding from the government and endured this situation to have the pride and not the finances to represent the Philippines. They are the true heroes, not the person who won so many millions of dollars and all of a sudden gets the honor. What are we telling all our athletes by doing this?”
I’m sure Manny worked very hard to become the champion he is. Maybe that’s inspiration for any athlete. Money is only one reward of his success. I wish Miguel Molina the best and I hope he takes home the GOLD!
If true, here’s what Manny had to go through to get where he is today.
“http://www.socyberty.com/People/The-From-Rags-to-Riches-Story-of-Manny-Pacquiao-All-time-Greatest-Asian-Professional-Boxer.193419″
Should Pacman bear our flag in the olympics? I do not know if Pacman wanted to be the flag bearer or not. But an appointment by this president (because it came from the president…) is also pressure on him to comply and that could have also been a major reason as to why he accepted. Still, I think that he should have been gentelman enough to decline and not be subject to the bidding of politicians like this president. She does not care that this act (even if Molina will not admit it…) offends and is “very demoralizing” for someone who has trained, and made many sacrifices for so long to prepare for this event only to be denied the honor of his hard efforts because this president wants to add glamour to the image of the Philippine Team by using the star of famous professional. For me, this is a most cruel act, that the highest official of our country could do to our poor and underprivileged athletes. This act also shows “HOW LITTLE SHE THINKS OF OUR ATHLETES.” Our poor athletes get little or maybe even no support and now that the very Olympics has come, it seems that their sacrifice and hard efforts are not to be recognized. I am a big fan of our hero Manny Pacquiao but as a Filipino, I am hurt and offended by this decision. Mrs Arroyo owes Miguel Molina and the other athletes an apology for even considering this move and as president, she should give our athletes the recognition and support that should be rightfully theirs if they are to succeed in their endeavors…
Manny is one of our country’s celebrated athletes already. He should have declined and passed on this opportunity to other Filipino Olympians. Like what pinoy run said, it should have been the decent thing to do.
If to be a flag bearer, required the best athlete in the philippines. Manny Pacman is the best of all athlete in “THE WOLRD” it takes Him humility to carry the flag of the Philippines. And we should be proud of it as Filipino and athlete. Problems in the Philippines is jealousy and criticism. for they are not qualified even to touch the flag.
quote:
“If true, here’s what Manny had to go through to get where he is today.
“http://www.socyberty.com/People/The-From-Rags-to-Riches-Story-of-Manny-Pacquiao-All-time-Greatest-Asian-Professional-Boxer.193419″
Manny indeed went through a lot of difficulties to get to where he is now. The glory afforded to him, which is rightfully his, is the prize money that he has attained – from professional boxing. On the other hand the glory that Miguel deserves from the hardships that he had to go through is the place and honor of being the flag bearer of the country.
Manny Pacman is the perfect Flag Bearer to represent our Country The Philippines to the World.
Manny Pacman is the World Champion on Boxing and well known around the world. Molina still needs to prove himself to the world, if Molina takes home a Medal from the Olympics, then he can be the next Flag Bearer. Molina still have not done anything extra ordinary, therefore Manny Pacman is the rightful and perfect Flag Bearer to represent our Country to the World.
Im an Englishman married to a Filipino, so i have a vested interest in this debate. i dont think Pacquiao should have accepted this offer by the president because it shows just how connected this man is to the powers-that- be in the Philippines. Money talks and Politicians will leach onto anybody who has money. its very sad to see that the focus was on a person who was not even competing in the Olympics, while the real athletes where just minor figures in the background. i watched the opening ceremony in England and when i watched Pacquiao carry the flag it symbolically showed how the Philippines is so far behind all of the other nations of the world.
Well, it seems that a non-Olympian as flag bearer just happened to jinx our Olympic team!