The Philippine government and private sector pledged a combined sum of P15-million (US$340,909) for any athlete competing in the games who would win the country its first gold medal.

Though several national records were broken in swimming and weightlifting events, the country failed to win any medals for the third consecutive Olympiad.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo later asked the POC to reconsider their decision, requesting instead that popular Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao be given the honor of carrying the flag.

[3] Pacquiao was not a competitor at the games, but had recently won the World Boxing Council lightweight title in a highly publicized fight against David Diaz.

The two did not qualify to the games via the usual route, but were accepted as wild card entries by the International Olympic Committee upon the request of the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association.

Tañamor was the only Filipino athlete predicted to win a medal in Sports Illustrated's Olympic Preview issue, which tipped him to capture the silver.

During practice in Xi'an weeks before the Olympic games, Fabriga suffered a waist injury that seriously hampered the pace of his training.

[16] The Philippine swimming team had the largest share of the country's athletes represented in Beijing, with five swimmers competing in seven events.

[17] The Philippines was represented by two taekwondo practitioners, Tshomlee Go and Mary Antoinette Rivero, both of whom had previously competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Hidilyn Diaz was selected as a wild card entry to the Summer Olympics by the Philippine Weightlifting Association in early 2008.

Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez said "She's here to gain valuable experience", and predicted that she would be a strong contender at future games.