BEIJING—Swimmer Miguel Molina finally gets to carry the national flag when the country’s contingent joins the closing ceremonies of the Games of the 29th Olympiad at the Bird’s Nest main stadium here on Aug. 24.

Unceremoniously dispossessed of the honor by professional boxing hero Manny Pacquiao at the opening rites, the 24-year-old Molina will lead 10 of his teammates during the final march for the evening celebration.

“He (Molina) will carry the flag this time,” said an official of the national contingent who asked not to be named because they haven’t told the athlete about it. “The choice of Pacquiao (for the opening ceremonies) was not ours to make.”

The World Boxing Council lightweight champion was the only Filipino athlete to do the chore without ever competing in the Olympics. His selection, widely criticized by Olympic observers in Manila, was recommended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Molina, the best male athlete in last year’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, smashed his own national record in the 200-meter individual medley at the Beijing Olympics.

He was part of the five-member swimming squad that reset four national marks and surpassed three SEA Games standards. The team also included Christel Simms, JB Walsh, Daniel Coakley and Ryan Arabejo.

Trap shooter Eric Ang, female lifter Hidilyn Diaz and archer Mark Javier returned to Manila at the end of their respective events last week.

Boxer Harry Tañamor will check out of the RP quarters at the Athletes Village on Monday.

Ang wound up at the bottom of the trap standings, Diaz finished 11th in a field of 12 in the -58 kg class, Javier lost in the first knockout round of the FITA 70 meters and Tañamor blew his first-round match against Ghana’s Mangyo Plange.