BEIJING: Four-time Olympic bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor and five-time Olympic curler John Shuster have been chosen by a vote of fellow Team USA athletes to be the flag bearers for Team USA at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Three-time Olympian Brittany Bowe, the first runner-up in the flag bearer election, will walk on behalf of Meyers Taylor, who recently shared she tested positive for COVID –19 and is unable to attend the Opening Ceremony.
The opening Ceremony will be held Friday, Feb. 4 at National Stadium, where more than 150 athletes on the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team are set to walk in the Opening Ceremony.
"Being voted by my peers as the flag bearer is the biggest honor of my career, " said Meyers Taylor, a two-time Olympic silver medalist and one-time bronze medalist. "While I cannot carry the flag and walk in with the rest of Team USA, Brittany is very deserving of the opportunity to lead our delegation on my behalf. She is an incredible person with an exemplary character, and I'm excited to watch her and John lead Team USA at the Opening Ceremony. I'm honored to be a part of this team, and coming from a military family, it's really special to have been chosen to carry our flag."
Bowe, a 2018 Olympic bronze medalist, received the second most votes of her peers and will join Shuster in leading Team USA into the stadium at the Opening Ceremony, which serves as the official start to the Games.
"I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead Team USA into the Opening Ceremony, ” said Bowe. “Taking on this responsibility is the honor of a lifetime, and I will proudly carry the American flag on behalf of Elana, her family, and all of Team USA."
Making his Olympic debut in 2006, Shuster has competed in every Olympic Winter Games since then, winning his first Olympic gold medal at PyeongChang 2018. He additionally won bronze at Torino 2006. Shuster is one of four five-time Olympians on the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team.
"Being elected as one of the flag bearers is a tremendous honor, " Shuster said. "When thinking back to my Opening Ceremony experiences, I cannot help but be so proud to lead Team USA into an Olympic Winter Games. Joining the incredible group of Team USA leaders, especially since it was chosen by my Team USA teammates, is one of the greatest honors of my sporting career."
Shuster is the first curling athlete to carry the flag in the Opening Ceremony, while Meyers Taylor is the first bobsled athlete to earn the honors since Jim Bickford, Jr., in 1956.
Determined by the language of the host country and according to IOC protocol and executive board decision, Greece will march first. The United States will be the 56th country to enter National Stadium, while host People’s Republic of China will be the final country to close out the Opening Ceremony.
NBCUniversal will present a Winter Olympics-record 2, 800+ hours of coverage across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app ofthe XXIV Olympic Winter Games from Beijing, China.