The 2016 Rio Olympics are nearly here, with the official opening ceremony set at Maracana Stadium on Friday. The Olympics get underway on Aug. 5 and will end on Aug. 21, and the opening ceremony is always a grand display designed to impress with spectacle.
These are the 2016 Olympic flag bearers for the Parade of Nations in Rio
Michael Phelps will bear the flag for the United States.
Athletes from 207 countries will be present for the Parade of Nations, with the most prominent being those who bear the flag for each country and other contingent. Carrying the national flag in the opening ceremony is a coveted honor, with big names like Andy Murray carrying the flag for Great Britain and Michael Phelps doing so for the United States.
Phelps is the most decorated Olympic swimmer of all time and is hoping to add to his massive medal count in Rio before calling it a career. He’ll bear the United States flag in the parade, perhaps as big an honor as winning one of his many medals.
One notable name on the flag bearer list is Rose Lokonyen, who is originally from South Sudan but will be representing the Olympics’ first-ever Refugee Olympic Team by bearing a flag featuring the Olympics logo in the parade. The team consists of 10 athletes and comes complete with coaches and a medical staff like any proper Olympic team.
Lokonyen, a runner, will be competing in the 800m race in Rio.
Of the 207 countries, not every one has named an official flag bearer, but those that have been confirmed (and the sport they represent) are compiled in the table below. The table also lists the order the countries will appear in the parade.
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