This Friday, July 12, the flag bearers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were officially designated.
There was no more suspense. After the rumors of the last few weeks, The Parisian assured on Thursday, July 11 that it had access to the details of the vote carried out to designate the flag bearers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while the official designation was to take place during the 8 p.m. news on France 2 this Friday. Even the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castera split from a tweet on Thursday evening to confirm the choice of flag bearers. Swimmer Florent Manaudou and discus thrower Mélina Robert-Michon will therefore be the two representatives to carry the French flag during this ceremony in Paris.
Olympic champion in the 50-meter freestyle in London under the eyes of his sister Laure, gold medalist in the 400m freestyle 8 years earlier in Athens, Florent Manaudou also finished on the podium in Rio in 2016 and in Tokyo in 2021. He was also the first Olympic torchbearer in France, in Marseille. Mélina Robert-Michon, medalist in the discus throw in Rio, is preparing to compete in her seventh Olympic Games, a longevity record for the 44-year-old discus thrower who has once again qualified.
For the Paralympic Games, Nantenin Keïta, reigning Paralympic champion in the 400m, who will also be competing in her fourth Olympics, and Alexis Hanquinquant, para triathlon champion, who will be competing in his second Games, have been designated.
What are the flag bearers called?
It was the athletes of the French team, ambassador athletes, who voted to elect the pair (one woman, one man) of flag bearers for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The vote took place between the end of June and the beginning of July in order to allow all the candidates to officially validate their qualifications. The flag bearers were designated by electronic vote with a bailiff.
Each ambassador had to vote for a ranking of 3 women and 3 men with the following distribution of points:
- Athlete #1 – 3 points
- Athlete #2 – 2 points
- Athlete #3 – 1 point
The chosen pair had to be composed of the female athlete and the male athlete who collected the most points. Florent Manaudou and Mélina Robert-Michon beat Earvin Ngapeth (volleyball), Enzo Lefort (fencing), Estelle Moselly (boxing) and Camille Lecointre (sailing).
For the Paralympic Games, the nomination process is the same as for the Olympic Games, with a vote by those who qualify.
The list of candidates before the nomination
- Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (sailing)
- Charlotte Bonnet (swimming)
- Romane Dicko (judo)
- Laëtitia Guapo (basketball)
- Renaud Lavillenie (Athletics)
- Camille Lecointre (sailing)
- Enzo Lefort (fencing)
- Florent Manaudou (swimming)
- Estelle Mossely (boxing)
- Earvin Ngapeth (volleyball)
- Sofiane Oumiha (boxing)
- Pauline Ranvier (fencing)
- Wendie Renard (football)
- Mélina Robert-Michon (athletics)
The full list of candidates to be flag bearers at the Paralympic Games
- Nélia Barbosa (para canoe)
- Alexis Hanquinquant (para triathlon)
- Nantenin Keita (para athletics)
- David Smetanine (para swimming)