The opening ceremonies are underway at the 2024 Paris Olympics , with a unique Parade of Nations taking place on boats on the Seine River, which curves its way through the heart of the city.
As per tradition, every nation's Olympic team elects two athletes for the honor of being a flagbearer, generally picking one person from their women's delegation and one from their men's. Those flagbearers will carry their nation's colors on the six-kilometer route, which organizers believe could be attended by as many as 300,000 people.
While many nations may end up voting for a world-famous superstar to bear their flag, others have gone for the youngest or oldest member of the delegation or, in the case of one country, a married couple will act as flagbearers in Paris on Friday.
Here is the list of the most notable flagbearers at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Notable Olympic flagbearers at Paris opening ceremony
Canada
- Andre De Grasse (Track)
- Maude Charron (Weightlifting)
Canada selected De Grasse, whose six Olympic medals are the highest-ever total for a Canadian at the Summer Games, and Charron (the defending gold medalist in the women's 64kg weightlifting event).
China
- Ma Long (Table tennis)
- Feng Yu (Artistic swimming)
Long is arguably the most dominant athlete in his sport in the entire Olympics, having won five gold medals and holding the longest-ever tenure as the world No. 1. He'll be joined as a flagbearer by Yu, a three-time World Aquatics Championships medalist.
Eritrea
- Biniam Girmay (Cycling)
- Christina Rach (Swimming)
Eritrea's flag will be carried by Girmay, who earlier this year became the first Black African rider to win a stage at the Tour de France, and the 16-year-old swimmer Rach.
France
- Florent Manaudou (Swimming)
- Melina Robert-Michon (Discus)
Two former medalists will carry the host nation's flag. Manaudou Olympic gold in his career haul of four medals, while Robert-Michon claimed silver in the discus throw in the 2016 Rio Games.
Great Britain
- Helen Glover (Rowing)
- Tom Daley (Diving)
The Union Jack was carried by Glover, a two-time gold medalist in the coxless pair, and Daley (a four-time medalist who won gold in 10-meter synchronized diving at Tokyo 2020.
Greece
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Basketball)
- Antigoni Ntrismpioti (Race walk)
Greece's flag-bearing duo will be Antetokounmpo, one of the biggest names in the NBA, and Ntrismpioti, an eight-time national race walk champion.
Puerto Rico
- Sebastian Rivera (Wrestling)
- Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Hurdles)
Camacho-Quinn, who claimed gold in the 100m hurdles in Tokyo, and Rivera (who took silver in the 2023 World Wrestling Championships) will carry Puerto Rico's flag at the opening ceremonies.
Refugee Team
- Yahya Al-Ghotany (Taekwondo)
- Cindy Ngamba (Boxing)
The Refugee Team — a 37-member group representing forcibly displaced people from all over the world — will see its flag in the hands of Al-Ghotany and Ngamba, who is the first boxer to represent the team in its history.
Romania
- Marius Cozmiuc (Rowing)
- Ionela Cozmiuc (Rowing)
A husband-and-wife duo will carry the Romanian flag. Husband Marius won silver in Tokyo in the coxless pair, while wife Ionela is a three-time world champion aiming for her first Olympic podium.
Ukraine
- Mykhailo Romanchuk (Swimming)
- Elina Svitolina (Tennis)
Ukraine's flag will be carried by two athletes that medaled in Tokyo: Romanchuk took home two medals in the 2020 Games (a silver in the 1,500m freestyle and bronze in the 800m freestyle), while Svitolina claimed bronze in women's singles.
United States
- LeBron James (Basketball)
- Coco Gauff (Tennis)
Two of the most decorated athletes at the Paris Games will carry the Stars and Stripes, with NBA superstar James and U.S. Open winner Gauff chosen as U.S. flagbearers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron, Giannis, Tom Daley and more notable flagbearers at the Olympic opening ceremony
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