HOY WILL CARRY THE FLAG
S IR CHRIS HOY has been selected to carry the British flag at the glittering opening ceremony on Friday,
Sportsmail can reveal.
It is understood the four-time Olympic champion won the vote of British athletes and officials over the weekend, though the result will not be made official until the British Olympic Association announces it today.
But, based on soundings last night, that is thought to be no more than a formality, meaning Hoy will lead out Team GB in the athletes’ parade in front of 80,000 spectators in the stadium and more than a billion TV viewers worldwide.
BOA spokesman Darryl Seibel refused to confirm the selection yesterday but said: ‘ We are planning an official announcement for tomorrow.’
Hoy’s anticipated role represents another honour for the boom sport of cycling, following Bradley Wiggins’s historic Tour de France victory yesterday, with another bumper haul of medals expected on both the road and track at the Olympics.
Hoy, 36, will lead out a dramatically depleted home team. Although Britain’s 542athlete delegation is the largest at the Games, only half that number are expected to march, due to their sporting priorities over the coming days.
Britain’s status as host nation means they will be last to march — at close to midnight. Scheduling made it too difficult for one of Hoy’s provisional flag-bearing rivals, Ben Ainslie, to be seriously considered for the job. The three- time Olympic champion is due to compete in Weymouth, Dorset, 36 hours after the opening extravaganza finishes 150 miles away in Stratford, east London.
Ainslie said last month that he would not be attending the ceremony, although it is understood that had he won the vote the BOA would have laid on a helicopter to allow him to carry the flag.
Unlike Ainslie, Hoy has no timing dilemma because he is not due to compete until the second week of the Games, when he will try to surpass rower Sir Steve Redgrave’s British record of five gold medals. He will compete in track cycling’s team sprint and keirin.
The flag-bearer is traditionally a veteran of several Olympics, making former bronze-medal archer Alison Williamson, who is taking part in her sixth successive Games, a strong contender.
However, Hoy still fits the criteria amply, having won a silver medal at Sydney 2000, one gold at Athens 2004 and an unforgettable three golds in Beijing four years ago. He is also recognised as a fine ambassador for British sport, having been the enduring face of cycling’s high profile over the past decade.