Tom Daley and Helen Glover have been announced as flagbearers for what will be one of the smallest Team GB contingents at a recent Olympic Opening Ceremony.
A combination of the schedule, and a reluctance to take part in an event that might impact upon their preparations for competition, means that the number of British athletes appearing at the 6km ceremony down the River Seine is expected to be in the dozens.
Only athletes staying in the Olympic Village in Paris can take part in the ceremony and Team GB expect to have fewer than 100 at their base on Friday night. Track and field, for example, has the largest team but does not start until next Friday and so has not yet moved into the village. Numerous swimmers will also be in action over the first weekend and will want no change to their routine.
Those staying in the team village on Friday, however, will still be encouraged to wear their official Opening Ceremony uniforms and enjoy the occasion together virtually.
Daley, who is appearing in his fifth Olympics, does not compete in his 10m synchronized platform event until Monday while Glover, a gold medallist in London and Rio de Janeiro, has her first heat in the women’s four on Sunday.
Daley, who was sworn to secrecy after being informed that he had been selected for the honour earlier this week, admitted that he would normally have opted to miss the Opening Ceremony in order to be optimally rested.
“One of the amazing things about being flagbearer is being able to get in and get out, enjoy this huge honour but still put our performance first,” said the 30-year-old. “I have done two [Opening Ceremonies]. In 2008, I was near the front because I was one of the smallest in the team. 2012 was incredibly special to do at a home Games.”
Of his father Robert, who died following a brain tumour in 2011, Daley said: “My dad would not have ever believed I would be a flagbearer one day. He always considered flagbearers to be Olympic icons and legends. I think he would be so incredibly proud.”
Glover said that being asked to carry the British flag was the biggest honour of her rowing life. “I just love the Olympics and have always loved what it stood for,” she said. “I still pinch myself that I am an Olympian, let alone doing something that I just saw as going down in history.
“You can work hard to become an Olympian but this is bestowed upon me by somebody else who has seen that hard work. That just means so much.”
Glover, who is 38, retired after the Rio Games in 2016 but returned to the sport for the Tokyo Games after having three children.
“It’s a pinch-me moment, because I had four years out of the sport.,” she said. “A lot of the time, when I think about my Olympic memories, I have flashpoints of thinking about the flagbearer. I remember them, I recognise them.
“It’s so much more than just me. The team is full of amazing stories, full of amazing, inspirational people. It’s full of people that I want to stand there proudly and represent.
“Our supporters, whether they are out here in France or at home, are better than any other nation. I think we’re the best team in terms of our unity. To be representing everybody’s individual story when I stand there is really important to me.”
Daley is the first diver to ever carry the flag for Team GB. “Tom and Helen exemplify and embody the values of Team GB and our great country,” said Mark England, the chef de mission. “They are dedicated, hard-working, talented athletes, who have achieved greatness in their sports and have captured the affection of the nation in doing so.
“They are both truly proud to wear the Union flag and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing that first hand at every Olympic Games they have attended. It is an absolute privilege to name them as flagbearers.”
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