Patrick Anderson and Katarina Roxon named Canada's Paris 2024 Paralympic opening ceremony flag bearers
The experienced duo are both Paralympic champions.
Wheelchair basketball athlete Patrick Anderson and Para swimmer Katarina Roxon were named Canada’s flag bearers for the Paris 2024 Paralympic opening ceremony on Tuesday, ahead of the event on Wednesday.
Anderson, 45, is going to his sixth Paralympic Games since making his debut at Sydney 2000, and is a three-time gold medallist — in 2000, 2004, and 2012 and added a silver in 2008. He is one of the all-time greats in the sport, and will help lead Canada into the opening ceremony before leading them on the court.
“That's one of those moments that really brings us all together,” said Anderson of the opening ceremony in a virtual press conference after the announcement. “We live our sort of siloed existences, wheelchair basketball in my case, Kat swimming, and of course we recognize each other, and occasionally we show up in the same CPC promotional video, without ever having met.
“Tomorrow we're going to be helping connect this group and sort of form one big team out of many parts, so I'm looking forward to that and I'm very proud.”
Roxon, 31, will be the first Canadian woman to swim in five editions of the Paralympic Games, going back to Beijing 2008. She won a gold medal in the women’s SB8 100m breaststroke at the Rio 2016 Paralympics before adding a bronze in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay at Tokyo 2020.
“It's a huge privilege to be named as one of the co-captains alongside Pat,” said Roxon. “Just looking at everybody else that came before us as flag bearers, and seeing their careers and seeing their achievements in and out of sport is just phenomenal, and to be part of that group as well now is truly a privilege.
“Being able to represent Canada every single time, no matter what it is, whether it's Paralympic Games, the World Championships, Pan Am Games, it's truly always, always an honor to get to represent the maple leaf.”
The preliminary round of the men’s wheelchair basketball tournament begins for Canada on Friday, August 30 against France. They then play Great Britain the next day, and Germany on Monday, September 2.
Roxon will be in action beginning on Friday as well, in the SB8 100m breaststroke event that she won gold in at Rio 2016, and finished fourth in at Tokyo 2020. She will also race in the SM9 200m individual medley on September 5, and is a candidate for the relay team again as well.
Live coverage of the opening ceremony will be available on CBC TV and CBC Gem in Canada, beginning at 1:30 pm ET on Wednesday.
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