Sports Interaction
Promotions
Sports Interaction
Promotions

Who Will Carry Team Canada’s Flag at Sochi 2014 Olympics?

  • Frank Doyle's Author profile. Frank Doyle

Add Sports Interacton as Your Preferred News Source

If you were to choose Team Canada’s Olympic flag bearer based on a combination of sporting excellence and global appeal, you’d have to think Sidney Crosby would be the guy. But it’s not that simple at all in making this choice as the Canadian Olympic Committee gets set to announce its decision Thursday afternoon.

While Team Canada’s men’s hockey team is certainly the most high-profile squad wearing the maple leaf, there are more than enough deserving Canadians to carry the flag outside of the hockey team. Plus, when you consider Crosby’s Penguins play the New York Rangers in NHL play the night of the Opening Ceremonies and that he reportedly hasn’t even been contacted by the Olympic Committee about the possibility, it sounds like he’s out of the running.

That leaves Charles Hamelin, Alexandre Bilodeau, Erik Guay as the favorites to carry the flag next month. It’s going to be a difficult decision if it comes down to this trio.

Hamelin, a short-track speedskater, was the only Canadian to win more than one gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics. He was at the top of the podium in the 500 metres and the 5,000-metre relay.

Bilodeau won gold in moguls skiing in Vancouver and hasn’t slowed down at all since with three straight World Cup victories in his pocket as he gets set to lead the freestyle skiing team in Sochi.

“I am ready to hit the slopes of Russia and show the world why Canada is a force to be reckoned with,” Bilodeau told reporters. “The Canadian Olympic freestyle team is totally focused. These Games belong to Canada.”

Guay finished fifth in the downhill and Super-G in Vancouver, missing out on a medal but hundredths of a second in the Super-G. He picked up a bronze medal at the World Cup downhill last week, which marked his 21st World Cup medal, a new Canadian record.

Team Canada finished with 14 gold medals in Vancouver, more than any other country, and had 26 medals in total. This year Canada is set at +565 to win the most gold medals and at +594 to win the most medals overall.