Boxers Petecio, Paalam to carry Philippine flag in Paris

MANILA, Philippines — Boxers Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio, both silver medal winners in the last Olympics, have been named as flag-bearers for the Philippine contingent to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“We based it on the performances of our athletes in the Tokyo Games. They (Paalam and Petecio) were the best performers among our returning Olympic bets,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino on their choices on who will carry the country’s colors during the Paris Games opening ceremonies on July 26.

Paalam and Petecio delivered two of the four medals won by the Philippines in what’s easily its best showing in the quadrennial games during the Tokyo edition in 2021.

Weightlifting gold-medal winner Hidilyn Diaz missed a shot at a fifth
Olympic appearance while boxing bronze medalist Eumir Marcial will be among the “comebackers” in Paris along with Paalam, Petecio, pole-vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Caloy Yulo, weightlifter Elreen Ando, golfer Bianca Pagdanganan and possibly judoka Kiyomi Watanabe and sprinter Kristina Knott.

Tolentino announced the appointment of the flag-bearers during the final briefing among members of the Philippine team at the Milky Way Restaurant in Makati yesterday.

The bulk of the delegation will be departing Saturday for training camp in Metz, France, three weeks before the start of the Paris Games.

On Friday, President Marcos will join the athletes, coaches and officials in a send-off ceremony in Ayuntamiento de Manila, Intramuros.

Paalam and Petecio will be joining a number of boxers who have been given the honor of being the Philippine Olympic flag bearers. The list includes Manfredo Alipala in 1964, Arlo Chavez in 1992, Reynaldo Galido in 1996 and Marcial in 2021. In 2008, pro boxing icon Manny Pacquiao was a special choice to carry the flag in the Beijing Games.