Before the Olympics
These are the candidates for the German flag bearer duo
Who will carry the German flag at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Italy? Six stars are available to choose from. Fans and the German team decide who will be the flag-bearer duo.
Ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl and seven-time ski jumping world champion Katharina Schmid are among the candidates for the election of German flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on February 6th in Italy. The Olympic champions Johannes Rydzek (Nordic combination), Laura Nolte (bobsleigh) and Tobias Wendl (double-seater luge) as well as snowboard hopeful Ramona Hofmeister are also included in the preselection, as the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) announced.
For the fourth time after the Olympics in Tokyo (2021), Beijing (2022) and Paris (2024), a woman and a man will be selected as flag bearer and standard bearer. As with previous games, fans can vote for their favorites online. This time the election runs until February 3rd.
Hofmeister and Wendl with a second chance
The athletes on the German team are also allowed to vote. Half of the results of both votes will be taken into account in the decision, which will be announced on February 5th.
Hofmeister and Wendl were already shortlisted for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. However, both had to admit defeat to the speed skater Claudia Pechstein, who was still active at the time, and bobsleigh dominator Francesco Friedrich.
Pre-selection was carried out according to certain criteria
When pre-selecting the three men and three women, the DOSB said it valued the successes and role models of the athletes. In addition, the athletes should represent different sports and disciplines.
Furthermore, participation in the opening ceremony had to fit into the nominees’ competition and training program. The first medal decisions will take place one day after the official start.
Opening ceremony at four locations in parallel
Due to the long travel distances, the opening ceremony in Italy will take place decentrally at four locations. In addition to the main location in Milan with the San Siro football stadium, these include Cortina d’Ampezzo, Livigno and Predazzo.
It is therefore also possible that the flag bearers will not be in the same place. According to the DOSB, the entry of the teams should take place in parallel everywhere “in order to create a communal feeling”.
dpa
