Canada picks two Opening Ceremony flag bearers for Paris Olympics

Canada’s flag bearers for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are officially set.

In an announcement on Wednesday, Canada named two Olympic champions, sprinter Andre De Grasse and weightlifter Maude Charron, as its flag bearers for Friday’s Opening Ceremony.

De Grasse won gold in the 200m in athletics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, while Charron won gold in weightlifting, De Grasse also has five other medals from Tokyo and the Rio 2016 Games.

The Opening Ceremony will be a one-of-a-kind event, primarily taking place along the Seine River throughout Paris, with athletes riding in on boats rather than walking into a stadium.

The Canadian duo is competing with the star power of the American contingent, led by basketball and tennis superstars LeBron James and Coco Gauff, respectively.

The first events at the Paris Olympics began today, with the Opening Ceremonies beginning on July 26 at 1:30 pm ET and the Closing Ceremonies to be held on August 11.

The Games kicked off with soccer and Rugby Sevens events on what’s known as “Day -2,” meaning two days before the Opening Ceremony.

For fans interested in watching the Opening Ceremony, the easiest way to do so is via CBC, either on the channel itself or streaming through the CBC website or the CBC Gem app, which is available on most major devices.

These Olympics will feature 393 events across 32 sports, and over 10,000 athletes are slated to compete over the next few weeks.

Though the Games are typically listed as kicking off once the Olympic flame is lit, it’s an ongoing tradition to have a few events get going early to squeeze everything in.

Canada’s first event is a women’s soccer match against New Zealand, taking place Thursday at 11 am ET/8 am PT.

That one already has a bit of controversy behind it, with Canada caught using a drone to spy on a New Zealand training session before the match. As a result, two Canada staff members have been sent home, while Canadian coach Bev Priestman will not be on the touchline during the match. FIFA has begun an investigation into it.