Ice dancing pair Virtue and Moir named Canada's flag bearers for 2018 Olympic Opening Ceremony

Jan 17 2018, 12:40 am

Ice dancing pair Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have been named as Canada’s flag bearers for the 2018 Olympic Opening Ceremony in PyeongChang. The announcement was made by prime minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa.

They will become the first pair to ever lead the Canadian Olympic team into an Opening Ceremony, expected to be a contingent of approximately 230 athletes when the Games get going in South Korea in 24 days.

Virtue and Moir’s list of accomplishments at the Olympics is impressive.

The pair, who were born in London, Ontario but now live in Montreal, became the youngest-ever to win Olympic gold in ice dancing at Vancouver 2010 at the ages of 20 and 22. They took home a pair of silver medals four years later (in ice dancing, plus the team competition) in Sochi.

“The privilege of carrying the flag comes with great responsibility that we do not take lightly,” said Virtue. “We commit to embodying the values and standards that make Canada such a special place, and vow to embrace the Olympic spirit in its purest form.”

Outside of Olympic competition, Virtue and Moir have won three World Championships, including at last year’s competition in Helsinki. Remarkably, that first-place finish came after they took a two-year hiatus following the Sochi Olympics.

The pair took home their eighth Canadian championship at nationals in Vancouver over the weekend.

“Being named flag bearers for Canada is the highest honour of our careers, and we couldn’t be more grateful to the COC for their belief in us,” said Moir. “We will be marching into the Opening Ceremony with a strong, confident and inspired team of Canadian athletes – a group that will fearlessly represent our great nation on the world’s biggest stage.”

Here’s the list of previous Opening Ceremony flag bearers for Canada at the Olympics:

Year Season Athlete Sport
2016 Summer Rosie MacLennan Gymnastics
2014 Winter Hayley Wickenheiser Hockey
2012 Summer Simon Whitfield triathlon
2010 Winter Clara Hughes speed skating
2008 Summer Adam van Koeverden Kayaking
2006 Winter Danielle Goyette Hockey
2004 Summer Nicolas Gill Judo
2002 Winter Catriona Le May Doan Speed skating
2000 Summer Caroline Brunet Kayak racing
1998 Winter Jean-Luc Brassard Freestyle skiing
1996 Summer Charmaine Crooks Athletics
1994 Winter Kurt Browning Figure skating
1992 Summer Mike Smith Athletics
1992 Winter Sylvie Daigle Short track speed skating
1988 Summer Carolyn Waldo Synchronized swimming
1988 Winter Brian Orser Figure skating
1984 Summer Alex Baumann Swimming
1984 Winter Gaétan Boucher Speed skating
1980 Summer none Boycotted
1980 Winter Ken Read Alpine skiing
1976 Summer Abby Hoffman Athletics
1976 Winter Dave Irwin Alpine skiing
1972 Summer Douglas Rogers Judo
1972 Winter Karen Magnussen Figure skating
1968 Summer Roger Jackson Rowing
1968 Winter Nancy Greene Alpine skiing
1964 Summer Gil Boa Shooting
1964 Winter Ralf Olin Speed skating
1960 Summer Carl Schwende Fencing
1960 Winter Robert Paul Figure skating
1956 Summer Bob Steckle Wrestling
1956 Winter Norris Bowden Figure skating
1952 Summer Bill Parnell Athletics
1952 Winter Gordon Audley Speed skating
1948 Summer Bob McFarlane Athletics
1948 Winter Hubert Brooks Hockey
1944 Summer none Cancelled due to WWII
1944 Winter none Cancelled due to WWII
1940 Summer none Cancelled due to WWII
1940 Winter none Cancelled due to WWII
1936 Summer Jim Worrall Athletics
1936 Winter Walter Kitchen Hockey
1932 Summer George Maughan Boxing
1932 Winter Hack Simpson Hockey
1928 Summer Joseph Wright Jr. Rowing
1928 Winter John Porter Hockey
1924 Summer Hec Phillips Athletics
1924 Winter Ernie Collett Hockey
1920 Summer Archie McDiarmid Athletics
1916 Summer none Cancelled due to WWI
1912 Summer Duncan Gillis Athletics
1908 Summer Ed Archibald Athletics
See also
Rob WilliamsRob Williams

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