Flagbearers

[oleada]

I always love seeing who gets picked. So far a few have been announced:

France - Laura Flessel (Fencing)
Italy - Valentina Vezzali (Fencing)
Serbia - Novak Djokovic (Tennis)
Spain - Rafael Nadal (Tennis)

Not surprised to see Nole and Rafa be flagbearers; they are already legends in their sports and Olympic medalists.

I don't know a thing about fencing, though.
Any suggestions as to who could be flag bearers for other countries?

[Domshabfan]

Valentina Vezzali 5 gold 1 silver and 1 bronze at Olympics out of 7 medals possible (no team event at 2004 Olympics) spread over 4 Olympics. 13-5-3 at the worlds.

For Russia Kanaeva (just a suggestion)

[oleada]

Kanaeva is a good suggestion.

Belarus should pick Azarenka IMO.

[Domshabfan]

Kanaeva is a good suggestion.

Belarus should pick Azarenka IMO.

I forgot to mention an important point, one big consideration in deciding the flag bearers for the games will be when each athletes individual events starts. So considering Rhythmic is right at the end of the games, Kanaeva may not what to be flag bearer if it is hinderance to her training since she will have to reach the venue almost 2 weeks in advance, in that case, provided she wins the gold, she could be the flag bearer during the closing ceremony.

So some of the athletics favourites may not want to be flag bearers saw well.

[SandraMGfan]

I always love seeing who gets picked. So far a few have been announced:

France - Laura Flessel (Fencing)
Italy - Valentina Vezzali (Fencing)
Serbia - Novak Djokovic (Tennis)
Spain - Rafael Nadal (Tennis)

Not surprised to see Nole and Rafa be flagbearers; they are already legends in their sports and Olympic medalists.

I don't know a thing about fencing, though.
Any suggestions as to who could be flag bearers for other countries?

I don't know anything about Valentina Vezzali, but Laura Flessel has been part of the French Olympic fencing team since 1996 in Atlanta where she won 2 Gold medals. She then went on medalling in Sydney (1 bronze) and Athens (1 silver, 1 bronze). She qualified for Beijing but got eliminated in the 1/4 finals.

France has a successful history in fencing, and if I remember correctly, it's the sport where France has won the most Olympic medals.

[ioana]

Any suggestions as to who could be flag bearers for other countries?

I think a lot of it depends on event schedules, too. Romania wants one of the rowers to be flag bearer, but she has a (qualifying) race next morning, so that might not work too well. I heard Kim Clijsters is one of the front runners for Belgium.

[love_skate2011]

Flag Bearers are usually the pride of the sports/ specific disciplines

USA - Ryan Lochte
Russia - Evgenia Kanaeva
China - Liu Xiang
Spain - Rafael Nadal
Japan - Kohei Uchimura
Serbia - Novak Djokovic
Belarus - Viktoria Azarenka ( too many tennis flag bearers not good, imo, they all wont win )

[Domshabfan]

I don't know anything about Valentina Vezzali, but Laura Flessel has been part of the French Olympic fencing team since 1996 in Atlanta where she won 2 Gold medals. She then went on medalling in Sydney (1 bronze) and Athens (1 silver, 1 bronze). She qualified for Beijing but got eliminated in the 1/4 finals.

France has a successful history in fencing, and if I remember correctly, it's the sport where France has won the most Olympic medals.

Valentina Vezzali :

1996 : Gold team foil, Silver Individual
2000: Gold team and Individual
2004 : Gold Individual... no team event in 2004
2008 : Gold Individual, Bronze team
Valentina is 38 years old, reigning world individual champion and ranked no.1 in both individual and team event.

and to add to that she is 13 times gold medalist with another 5 silver and 3 bronze. She is an incredible athlete

[Domshabfan]

Sharapova to fly the flag for Russia, how unoriginal.

[ioana]

too many tennis flag bearers not good, imo, they all wont win

You know flag bearers are chosen based on being the best in their country or somehow 'embodying the Olympic spirit', not so much their chances of winning gold, right?

[allezfred]

The most obvious choice for Ireland would be our No.1 gold medal hope Katie Taylor.

[oleada]

Sharapova to fly the flag for Russia, how unoriginal.

That's an interesting choice given that Maria hasn't lived in Russia for a long time.... but she's also by far their greatest tennis player ever, just won the Career Grand Slam and she definitely embodies determination, hard work and dedication. So in that way she's a very good choice.

I read somewhere that Isinbayeva is very superstitious and won't do it and rhythmic starts 10 days after the opening ceremony which makes Kanaeva a not great choice.

[Garden Kitty]

I can understand when very visible, popular athletes are chosen, but I always like to see the recognition go to one of the lesser known athletes who don't get big paydays and endoresements.

[AragornElessar]

If Clara Hughes is chosen for the Cycling team, and considering her results the last two years I can't see why not, she just might become the first ever Canadian to lead in Team Canada in two straight, but different, Olympic Games. She was the Flag Bearer who led in Team Canada in Vancouver and after her races at the Richmond Oval, decided she still had unfinished business on the Cycling side of things, so got back on the bike determined to be in London.

Not sure if the COC would want to do that, but it's something I could see happening.

Personally, I'd love to see Captain Canada, Ian Miller, lead the Team in. He's had a legendary career and I have a funny feeling this very well could be his last Games. If so, what better tribute for him.

[JasperBoy]

Yes, it would be wonderful to see Ian Millar carry the flag. He has had such a long international career but he is getting on in years. (Still younger than me, though!)

[AragornElessar]

That's the great thing about Equestrian sport though. As long as you keep in shape and have the horses, there's no age limit whatsoever to how long you can go.

Speaking of that...Zara Phillips, Princess Anne's daughter, was named to the Great Britain Three Day Eventing team earlier this week. I wonder if w/the Diamond Jubliee and all, if she wouldn't be considered for the British Flagbearer?

Not that I'm saying I like the idea, as there's others who have done more over the last four years, but...I do wonder...

[maatTheViking]

I hope Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein gets to be the Danish flag bearer, speaking of royal equestrians - well technically the team isn't selected yet, but she has been the corner stone for years, and has a team bronze from Beijing.

Well, probably not, maybe it will be Caroline what's-her-name who plays tennis.

[oleada]

Well, probably not, maybe it will be C] aroline what's-her-name who plays tennis.

I hope not

[maatTheViking]

I hope not

I have nothing against her - but I think she is too young and doing this would probably place a lot of pressure on her.

It might be one of the sailors or rowers, though Eskild Ebbesen was flag bearer in Athens (he has 3? 4? OGMs in light weight 4s)

[oleada]

I'm not a fan, to put it mildly, as some of the folk in the tennis thread will tell you But I don't know about Danish athletes enough to know who is a good candidate. But Caroline IMO has been playing pretty terribly for the past year or so.

I read an article that Agnieszka Radwanska is being considered as a flagbearer for Poland.