Basketball ace to carry Russian flag at Beijing
Published 28 July, 2008, 21:15
Olympic officials have named Andrey Kirilenko as Russia’s flag-bearer for the opening ceremony of the Beijing games. Tennis star Maria Sharapova had wanted the honour but was told to save her energy for the tennis tournament.
Kirilenko is a world-famous name in sport. He captained Russia to victory in the European Championship in 2007 and was named player of the tournament. The 27-year-old has played his club basketball in the US’s NBA since 2001, where is one of the stars on the Uta Jazz.
When asked at the press conference whether it would be Kirilenko who would carry the national flag, Leonid Tyagachev, Russian Olympic chief, said: ‘Would you like it to be Kirilenko? It will be my pleasure to fulfill your desire,’ he added after the audience replied ‘Yes!’
Russia Olympic team for Beijing announced
Russia has also named its team for the Olympics. A total of 467 will go to China, competing in 36 disciplines.
The announcement was made by the Russian Olympic Committee. There are just six events in which Russia will not compete, including football and baseball.
The Russian team is aiming for around 30 golds.
“These final days before the start of the games are very important. All the federations are reporting their progress to us. I agree with the goals they've set and I must say that Russia is one of the world leaders in sport and we count on their successful performance,” said Russian Sports Minister, Vitaly Mutko.
discuss it
