arwebb Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 I was thinking about who might be in the running to carry the Union flag on Friday afternoon (our time) and the only candidate that stands out is Ben Ainslie. He's at his fourth Games and looking to win his third gold medal. No-one else comes close for me. Having said that, I now fully expect to be wrong. So, who'll carry your nation's flag? And who might you want to carry it instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guardian Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 You may want to look at this Wikipedia entry: 2008 Summer Olympics National Flag Bearers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 For Canada, Adam Van Koeverden.....Canadian flatwater kayak racer and reigning Olympic and World champion in K-1 500 m and world record holder in the K-1 500. At the 2004 Summer Olympics Van Koeverden won two medals, including a gold in the K-1 500 m and a bronze in the K-1 1000 m. He was Canada's flag bearer at the closing ceremonies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtd2 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 I predict Michael Phelps or Dana Torres for the United States. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 I predict Michael Phelps or Dana Torres for the United States. Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton!! j/k. I don't think it would be Phelps or Torres. Plus the US swim team is training in Singapore -- and probably won't get to Beijing until a day or so before their competition. Probably like the others, an older Olympian (whose last Olympics this might be) and whose competition won't start until Week 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Tomorrow, the German flag bearer will be announced. The media speculate that it could be either Andreas Dittmer (canoe/kayak, triple Olympic Champion 1996/2000/2004) or Dirk Nowitzki (basketball). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 One addition: Also Ralf Schumann (shooting, triple Olympic Champion 1992/1996/2004), Kathrin Boron (rowing, quadruple Olympic Champion 1992/1996/2000/2004) and Christian Schwarzer (handball, silver medallist 2004) are candidates for carrying the flag. But probably it will be none of those mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympia Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 For Canada, Adam Van Koeverden.....Canadian flatwater kayak racer and reigning Olympic and World champion in K-1 500 m and world record holder in the K-1 500. At the 2004 Summer Olympics Van Koeverden won two medals, including a gold in the K-1 500 m and a bronze in the K-1 1000 m. He was Canada's flag bearer at the closing ceremonies. Is it also a link with Vancouver 2010? Vancouver was a Dutch city in the past, called Coevoorden or Koeverden. Coincidence or is there a link with the next Winter Games? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY20?? Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 I don't think it would be Phelps or Torres. Plus the US swim team is training in Singapore -- and probably won't get to Beijing until a day or so before their competition. ....Phelps, Torres, and the rest of the US Swimming Team have already arrived in Beijing and trained at the Water Cube. It definitely won't be Phelps - he has heats on Saturday and finals on Sunday. I think it could be Torres though - the heats for the only individual event that she is competing in, the 50M Freestyle, don't start until a week after the ceremony and the final isn't until the next Sunday. Probably like the others, an older Olympian (whose last Olympics this might be) and whose competition won't start until Week 2 Maybe. Maybe not. I mean we did go with Dawn Stanley, a basketball player in Athens. By the way, I'm not Russian or anything, but I really would have loved to see Maria Sharapova at the OC as the Russian flag-bearer. Shame she won't be able to compete at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRATK Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Last month, Canal 13 and the Chilean Olympic Comittee (COCh) made a contest to select the Chilean flag bearer. The winner was Fernando González, winner of the gold medal in doubles men tennis and bronze medallist in singles in Athens 2004, runner-up of the 2007 Australian Grand Slam. Currently, he is 15th in the ATP rank, and his best position was the 3rd in 2007. The results of the contest was: Fernando González (tennis): 56,76% Natalia Ducó (athletics): 27,81% Nicolás Massú (tennis): 6,02% Soraya Jadue (rowing): 5,8% Kristel Köbrich (swimming): 3,61% Yesterday, in a ceremony at La Moneda Palace, President Michelle Bachelet give the official flag to the Chilean delegation leaded by Neven Ilic, President of the COCh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnold Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Dara Torres seems to be the sentimental pick to carry the Stars & Stripes into the stadium on Friday... after all it'll give Bob Costas something to talk about throughout the entire bloody ceremony at the expense of every other nation there. Personally, I'd like it to be Brian McBride (football/soccer -- one of the most under-appreciated athletes in American sport and one of the foundations for the US National team for over a decade) or Jason Kidd (basketball -- only member of 2008 Olympic squad to have won a Gold Medal). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rav3n Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Venezuela - The woman softball team will carry the tricolore at the opening ceremony (Venezuela will also march with it's biggest number of athletes on history, 103) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheal_warren Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 New Zealands flag bearer will be announced at the official team function to be held on the eve of the games! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonafin Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 Australia's flag bearer will be known tommorow, during or after the Australia Vs Serbia, soccer preliminary match on Thursday evening, so unless some one beats me to it, I will post who it is after I see who it is...... my guess is that it won't be a swimmer...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citius Altius Fortius Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 Dirk Nowitzki (Basketball) will be the flag bearer for Germany Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheal_warren Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 Good choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belgium Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 Sebastien Godefroid will be flag bearer for Belgium: he won silver in Atlanta in the Finn sailing competition and Beijing will be his fourth and last Games Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LA84 Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 Dirk Nowitzki (Basketball) will be the flag bearer for Germany He shaves his pits! Must be a btm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citius Altius Fortius Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 Good choice! It is an "unusual" choice - normally are athletes taken, who were successful at previous Olympic Games - Dirk Nowitzki is for the first time at Olympic Games, but the DOSB (the German NOC) said, that he represents a good type of athlete - he is successful, but he "keeps both feet on the ground..." He shaves his pits!Must be a btm I haven't known yet, that there is a player position in Basketball, which is called "btm" - I knew "cntr" only Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 Is it also a link with Vancouver 2010? Vancouver was a Dutch city in the past, called Coevoorden or Koeverden. Coincidence or is there a link with the next Winter Games? It has more to do with coincidence. He's the poster boy of the Canadian Olympic Team, the most successful athlete for Canada in Athens and the most successful athlete since those Games. He has won a ton of world titles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 (edited) It has more to do with coincidence. He's the poster boy of the Canadian Olympic Team, the most successful athlete for Canada in Athens and the most successful athlete since those Games. He has won a ton of world titles. Yeah, plus he's very attractive and his NAME of course, advertises Vancouver 2010. That is great grist for all the announcers and commentators. Imagine all the copy and free press Vancouver will get from that!! Edited August 6, 2008 by baron-pierreIV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LA84 Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 It has more to do with coincidence. He's the poster boy of the Canadian Olympic Team, the most successful athlete for Canada in Athens and the most successful athlete since those Games. He has won a ton of world titles. He's young - he's attractive. He has a Dutch name and nobody has heard of him before. This is a Bob Costas moment to advertise Vancouver and block out some of the more uninteresting Parade of Nations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citius Altius Fortius Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 here is the pic of Nowitzki during the press conference, in which he was announced as flag bearer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faster Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 He's young - he's attractive. He has a Dutch name and nobody has heard of him before.This is a Bob Costas moment to advertise Vancouver and block out some of the more uninteresting Parade of Nations. Many Canadians have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 here is the pic of Nowitzki during the press conference, in which he was announced as flag bearer A great choice! He's such a nice guy, a very good ambassador for German sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts