Here is the list of French flag bearers since this role appeared in 1912 during the Stockholm Games.
Being a flag bearer is an honour and a mark of recognition that every athlete who one day participates in the Olympic Games dreams of. It implies a very specific role in the team. The flag bearers arrive at the head of their delegation during the opening ceremony and lead the athletes, but this role gives them other missions, sometimes more implicit. First, they must assume additional media pressure, with very significant requests. But they also have an implicit mission as spokespersons for the athletes, as leaders of the delegation whose dynamics they ensure.
Since the Tokyo Games in 2021, there is no longer a flag bearer, but a duo composed of a male and female athlete. This is the case in all the delegations present, except for a few that have only one athlete present at the Games. For the first Games with this rule, Clarisse Agbégnénou and Samir Aït Saïd represented the French delegation. In Paris, Mélina Robert-Michon and Florent Manaudou will succeed them. For the first time, the two flag bearers were selected by all of their peers, the athletes selected for the Games.
French flag bearers in history
- Stockholm 1912: Raoul Paoli (Athletics)
- Antwerp 1920: Émile Ecuyer (Athletics)
- Paris 1924: Géo André (Athletics)
- London 1948: Jean Séphériades (Rowing)
- Helsinki 1952: Ignace Heinrich (Athletics)
- Melbourne 1956: Jean Debuf (Weightlifting)
- Rome 1960: Christian d’Oriola (Fencing)
- Tokyo 1964: Michel Macquet (Athletics)
- Mexico 1968: Christine Caron (Swimming)
- Munich 1972: Jean-Claude Magnan (Fencing)
- Montreal 1976: Daniel Morelon (Cycling)
- Los Angeles 1984: Angelo Parisi (Judo)
- Seoul 1988: Philippe Riboud (Fencing)
- Barcelona 1992: Jean-François Lamour (Fencing)
- Atlanta 1996: Marie-José Pérec (Athletics)
- Sydney 2000: David Douillet (Judo)
- Athens 2004: Jackson Richardson (Handball)
- Beijing 2008: Tony Estanguet (Canoeing)
- London 2012: Laura Flessel (Fencing)
- Rio 2016: Teddy Riner (Judo)
- Tokyo 2021: Clarisse Agbégnénou (Judo) and Samir Aït Saïd (Gymnastics)
- Paris 2024: Mélina Robert-Michon (athletics) and Florent Manaudou (swimming)