It is a moment the athlete will never forget. The moment when all eyes are on them.
We have all seen it. The athlete walking with a flag at an opening or closing ceremony. Some of athletes are major stars others you do not recognize because you do not know them or their sport.
At the opening and the closing ceremony at the 2nd European Games in Minsk the badminton fans of Europe had the chance to see the European top players presenting their flags to the World.
Four in front
At the opening ceremony for the European Games in Minsk on Dinamo Stadium the spectators saw four badminton players leading their nations into the Games:
Line Kjaersfeldt, Denmark
Chloe Magee, Ireland
Misha Zilberman, Israel
Robert Mann, Luxembourg
- It was a huge honor for me to lead Team Ireland into the opening ceremony. To walk into that stadium, carrying the Irish flag and hear your country’s name being called out is just something I will never forget. A proud moment in my sporting career, Chloe Magee said.
- Carrying the flag was an amazing honor that my Olympic Committee gave me. They saw my hard work during the years. It was one for the best moments for me. It also gave me extra power and showed me that they believe that I can deliver good results, Misha Zilberman said.
Medallists shine until the end
At the closing ceremony, which took place on Sunday night, three top badminton stars had the honor waving the flags:
Anders Antonsen, Denmark, European Games Men’s Singles Champion.
Brice Leverdez, France, European Games Men’s Singles Silver medallist.
Marcus Ellis, Great Britain, European Games Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles Champion.
- It was an honor for me, because I will not do many more Games. It is also very important for French badminton as it is the first time in the history, that we have a flag bearer, Leverdez said.
The next multi-sport event for the European badminton players will be the Olympics 2020 in Tokyo. The next question is: Who will we see carrying the flag into the Olympic Stadium 13 months from now?