2008 Summer Paralympics national flag bearers
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During the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, athletes from each participating country paraded in the stadium, preceded by their flag. The flag was borne by a sportsperson from that country chosen either by the National Paralympic Committee or by the athletes themselves to represent their country. It is considered a great honour to bear the country's flag in the Parade of Nations.
Parade order
Per tradition, the host country, in this case the People's Republic of China, marched last however contrary to tradition in the Olympic Games the national team of Greece did not enter first. All other nations marched in name order in the language of the host nation, which in this case is the Chinese language. As Chinese is written in characters and not letters, the order of the teams' entry was determined by the number of strokes in the first character of their respective countries' Simplified Chinese names.[1] Countries with the same number of strokes in the first character are sorted by those of the next character. This made Guinea (几内亚) the first country to enter, as it takes two strokes to write the first character in the country's name (几), and Zambia (赞比亚) last-but-one, ahead of China.
List
The following is a list of each country's flag bearer. The list is sorted in Latin alphabetical order.
Nation | Flag bearer | Sport |
---|---|---|
Afghanistan (AFG) | Mohammad Fahim Rahimi | Powerlifting |
Algeria (ALG) | Mohamed Allek | Athletics |
Angola (ANG) | Jose Armando | Athletics |
Argentina (ARG) | Silvio Velo | Football 5-A-Side |
Armenia (ARM) | Greta Khndzrtsyan | Powerlifting |
Australia (AUS) | Russell Short | Athletics |
Austria (AUT) | Christoph Etzlstorfer | Athletics |
Azerbaijan (AZE) | Ilham Zakiyev | Judo |
Bahrain (BRN) | Ahmed Meshaimaa | Athletics |
Bangladesh (BAN) | Abdul Quader Sumon | Athletics |
Barbados (BAR) | David Taylor | Swimming |
Belarus (BLR) | Ihar Fartunau | Athletics |
Belgium (BEL) | Nico Vergeylen | Table Tennis |
Benin (BEN) | Blandine Sahenou | Powerlifting |
Bermuda (BER) | Jennifer Southern | Secretary General of the Bermudian National Paralympic Committee |
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) | Sabahudin Delalić | Sitting Volleyball |
Brazil (BRA) | Antonio Tenorio Silva | Judo |
Bulgaria (BUL) | Stela Eneva | Athletics |
Burkina Faso (BUR) | Lassane Gasbeogo | Cycling |
Burundi (BDI) | Remy Nikobimeze | Athletics |
Cambodia (CAM) | Vanna Kim | Athletics |
Canada (CAN) | Donovan Tildesley | Swimming |
Cape Verde (CPV) | Artimeza Helena Sequiera | Athletics |
Central African Republic (CAF) | Rosel-Clemariot-Christian Nikona | Athletics |
Chile (CHI) | Robinson Mendez | Wheelchair Tennis |
China (CHN) | Wang Xiaofu | Swimming |
Chinese Taipei (TPE) | Hou Ting-Sung | Table Tennis |
Colombia (COL) | Moises Fuentes | Swimming |
Costa Rica (CRC) | Giovanny Rodriguez | Table Tennis |
Ivory Coast (CIV) | Oumar Basakoulba Kone | Athletics |
Croatia (CRO) | Marija Ivekovic | Athletics |
Cuba (CUB) | Yunidis Castillo | Athletics |
Cyprus (CYP) | Karolina Pelentritou | Swimming |
Czech Republic (CZE) | Marketa Sidkova | Archery |
Denmark (DEN) | Jackie Christiansen | Athletics |
Dominican Republic (DOM) | Alfonso Olibero Encarnacion | Athletics |
Ecuador (ECU) | Jose Marino | Powerlifting |
Egypt (EGY) | Metwaly Ibrahim Mathna | Powerlifting |
El Salvador (ESA) | Zulma Cruz | Athletics |
Estonia (EST) | Kristo Ringas | Swimming |
Ethiopia (ETH) | Tesfalem Gebru | Athletics |
Faroe Islands (FRO) | Heidi Andreasen | Swimming |
Fiji (FIJ) | Ranjesh Prakash | Athletics |
Finland (FIN) | Minna Leinonen | Shooting |
France (FRA) | Assia El Hannouni | Athletics |
Gabon (GAB) | Thierry Mabicka | Athletics |
Georgia (GEO) | Yago Gorgadze | Powerlifting |
Germany (GER) | Conny Dietz | Goalball |
Ghana (GHA) | Nkegbe Botsyo | Athletics |
Great Britain (GBR) | Danny Crates | Athletics |
Greece (GRE) | Charalampos Taiganidis | Swimming |
Guatemala (GUA) | Cesar Arturo Lopez Ivajera | Athletics |
Guinea (GUI) | ? | ?[2] |
Haiti (HAI) | Nephtalie Jean Louis | Powerlifting |
Honduras (HON) | Luis Carlos Hernandez Oliva | Athletics |
Hong Kong (HKG) | So Wa Wai | Athletics |
Hungary (HUN) | Judit Horvathne Palfi | Wheelchair Fencing |
Iceland (ISL) | Jon Oddur Haldorsson | Athletics |
India (IND) | Rajinder Singh Rahelu | Powerlifting |
Indonesia (INA) | Billy Zeth Makal | Powerlifting |
Iraq (IRQ) | Faris Al-Ajeeli | Powerlifting |
Ireland (IRL) | Patrice Dockery | Athletics |
Iran (IRI) | Mohammad Reza Mirzaei | Athletics |
Israel (ISR) | Yizhar Cohen | Swimming |
Italy (ITA) | Francesca Porcellato | Athletics |
Jamaica (JAM) | Tanto Campbell | Athletics |
Japan (JPN) | Toru Suzuki | Athletics |
Jordan (JOR) | Jamil Elshebli | Athletics |
Kazakhstan (KAZ) | Liazat Salimzenova | Powerlifting |
Kenya (KEN) | Henry Wanyioke | Athletics |
South Korea (KOR) | Park Jong-Chul | Powerlifting |
Kuwait (KUW) | Hamad Aladwani | Athletics |
Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) | Roman Omurbekov | Powerlifting |
Laos (LAO) | Eay Simay | Powerlifting |
Latvia (LAT) | Edgars Bergs | Athletics |
Lebanon (LIB) | Edward Maalouf | Cycling |
Lesotho (LES) | Thato Mohasoa | Athletics |
Lithuania (LTU) | Rolandas Urbonas | Athletics |
Luxembourg (LUX) | Peter Lorkowski | Cycling |
Libya (LBA) | Sahar Mostafa M El Gnemi | Powerlifting |
Macau (MAC) | Kuong Sio Ieng | Athletics |
Macedonia (MKD) | Vanco Karanfilov | Shooting |
Madagascar (MAD) | Josefa Harijaona Randrianony | Swimming |
Malaysia (MAS) | Mariappan Perumsl | Powerlifting |
Mali (MLI) | Sissoko Facourou | Powerlifting |
Malta (MLT) | Atonio Flores | Athletics |
Mauritius (MRI) | Richard Souci | Athletics |
Mexico (MEX) | Saul Mendoza | Athletics |
Moldova (MDA) | Larisa Marinenkova | Powerlifting |
Mongolia (MGL) | Bazarsuren Choyondorj | Judo |
Montenegro (MNE) | Dusan Dragovic | Swimming |
Morocco (MAR) | Abdelilah Mame | Athletics |
Myanmar (MYA) | Myint Win | Athletics |
Namibia (NAM) | Reginald Benade | Athletics |
Nepal (NEP) | Jit Bahadur Khadka | Athletics |
Netherlands (NED) | Esther Vergeer | Wheelchair Tennis |
New Zealand (NZL) | Sholto Taylor | Wheelchair Rugby |
Niger (NIG) | Zakari Amadou | Powerlifting |
Nigeria (NGR) | Adekunle Adesoji | Athletics |
Norway (NOR) | Cecilie Drabsch-Norland | Swimming |
Oman (OMA) | Badar al-Harthi | Powerlifting |
Pakistan (PAK) | Haider Ali | Athletics |
Palestine (PLE) | Husam Azzam | Athletics |
Panama (PAN) | Said Gomez | Athletics |
Papua New Guinea (PNG) | Francis Kompaon | Athletics |
Peru (PER) | Jose Gonzales-Mugaburu | Swimming |
Philippines (PHI) | Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta | Powerlifting |
Poland (POL) | Krzysztof Smorszczewski | Athletics |
Portugal (POR) | Filomena Franco | Rowing |
Puerto Rico (PUR) | Nilda Gomez Lopez | Shooting |
Qatar (QAT) | Ali Abdulla Mohamed | Powerlifting |
Romania (ROU) | Eduard Novak | Cycling |
Russia (RUS) | Alexey Ashapatov | Athletics |
Rwanda (RWA) | Jean de Dieu Nkundabera | Athletics |
Samoa (SAM) | Mose Faatamala | Athletics |
Saudi Arabia (KSA) | Osamah Alshanqiti | Athletics |
Senegal (SEN) | Nidiaye Mor | Athletics |
Serbia (SRB) | Zlatko Kesler | Table tennis |
Singapore (SIN) | Rui Si Theresa Goh | Swimming |
Slovakia (SVK) | Ladislav Gaspar | Table tennis |
Slovenia (SLO) | Franc Pinter | Shooting |
South Africa (RSA) | Natalie du Toit | Swimming |
Spain (ESP) | David Casinos | Athletics |
Sri Lanka (SRI) | Sandun Wasana Perera | Powerlifting |
Suriname (SUR) | Biondi Misasi | Athletics |
Sweden (SWE) | Anders Olsson | Swimming |
Switzerland (SUI) | Heinz Frei | Athletics / Cycling |
Syria (SYR) | Rasha Alshikh | Powerlifting |
Tajikistan (TJK) | Khayrullo Abdurahimov | Powerlifting |
Tanzania (TAN) | Ernest Nyabalale | Athletics |
Thailand (THA) | Supachai Koysub | Athletics |
Timor-Leste (TLS) | Liliana da Costa Silva | Powerlifting |
Tonga (TGA) | Mounga Okusitino | Athletics |
Tunisia (TUN) | Ahmed Benhaj Ali | Athletics |
Turkey (TUR) | Korhan Yamac | Shooting |
Turkmenistan (TKM) | Ovezgeldy Ordjiyev | Powerlifting |
Uganda (UGA) | Billy Ssengendo | Powerlifting |
Ukraine (UKR) | Andrii Komar | Wheelchair Fencing |
United Arab Emirates (UAE) | Abdullah al Aryani | Shooting |
United States (USA) | Jennifer Armbruster | Goalball |
Uruguay (URU) | Henry Borges | Judo |
Uzbekistan (UZB) | Ravil Diganshin | Athletics / Powerlifting |
Vanuatu (VAN) | Tom Tete | Powerlifting |
Venezuela (VEN) | Reinaldo Carvallo | Judo |
Vietnam (VIE) | Nguyen Quang Vuong | Swimming |
Zambia (ZAM) | Lassam Katongo | Athletics |
Zimbabwe (ZIM) | Elliot Mujaji | Athletics |
See also
Sources
- Official list on the website of the International Paralympic Committee
References
- ↑ "Opening Ceremony plan released - The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games". Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ↑ Guinea was, it seems, initially not due to take part in the athletes' parade, and is not included in the IPC's list. However, a small Guinean delegation did take part in the athletes' parade, entering the stadium before any other national delegation. It is not known at present who carried Guinea's flag.