China's flag-bearers named for Olympics opening ceremony

Tokyo, July 17 (IANS) Women's volleyball team skipper Zhu Ting and taekwondo athlete Zhao Shuai have been named as the Chinese delegation's flag-bearers for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games, the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) announced on Saturday.In a statement posted on its social media account, the COC said that flag-bearers of the Chinese delegation at the Olympics' opening ceremony have always attracted major attention and been a hot topic of discussion, reports Xinhua."Taking representation of the athletes and competition schedule into consideration, the delegation has confirmed its flag-bearers following widespread consultation and prudent consideration," read the statement.Zhu helped team China claim the Olympic gold medal in volleyball in Rio five years ago while Zhao made history by winning China's first Olympic gold in men's taekwondo when he triumphed in the 58kg category at the 2016 Rio Olympics.Postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics will open on July 23.
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