Oldershaw to carry Canada’s flag at opening ceremony July 10
Mark Oldershaw stood on Parliament Hill on Canada Day, tens of thousands of Canadians cheering his selection as flag-bearer for the opening ceremonies of the Pan Am Games.
It was a wonderful moment for the 32-year-old from Burlington, an Olympic medallist, one of the country’s most decorated canoeists, and his thoughts wandered to his grandfather and the legacy of one of the best paddling families the sport has ever known. “He would have been over the moon with this,” Oldershaw said of his grandfather.
Oldershaw’s selection to lead a Canadian contingent expected to balloon past 700 at the July 10 Pan Am opening ceremonies in Toronto is a crowning achievement, not only for him but for his family.
His grandfather, Bert, represented Canada at three Olympic Games; his father, Scott, paddled in Los Angeles in 1984; his uncle, Dean, competed at both the1972 Munich and1976 Montreal Games and was joined at the latter by another uncle, Reed.
Paddling is in the family’s blood, and it swelled the newest flag-bearer with pride.
“It really is like a dream come true,” he said.
Bert Oldershaw is one of the true giants of the sport. He made his first Olympic appearance in London in 1948, competed in Helsinki in 1952 and Melbourne in 1956 and was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004.
He passed away before his grandson made his Olympic debut, but his presence will be felt a week Friday when the Pan Am Games open at the Rogers Centre.
“He would just be so proud. It’s amazing,” Oldershaw said.
He is no stranger to the emotion of marching in ceremonies. He was almost front and centre behind Adam van Koeverden at the opening of the Beijing Olympics, but his competi- tion schedule didn’t allow him to march in London in 2012, where he won a bronze medal.
The Pan Am Games will be the first of Oldershaw’s career; in the past, Canada has tended to send developing athletes to them, but the fact they are in Toronto and southern Ontario has attracted the strongest Canadian team ever.
“We’re going to have such a strong team; to represent them like this is a true honour,” he said. “We train for our competitions and getting good results is what we strive for. But just being able to hold the flag and wave it is going to be an amazing feeling.”