The choice of flag bearer within the French delegation for the upcoming Olympics in Paris is a subject of passion and is subject to certain criteria. Several names stand out.
Who will be the two flag bearers of the French delegation at the Paris Olympics this summer? On Thursday, March 28, discus thrower Mélina Robert Michon expressed “her indescribable desire” to be one of them. The 45-year-old athlete, a silver medalist in Rio, who will be competing in her seventh Olympic Games this summer, meets one of the criteria to be chosen as a flag bearer since the CNOSF has decided that only an athlete who has already participated in an Olympiad can be a flag bearer in Paris.
Excluded from consideration are stars such as Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Dupont from Stade Toulousain, and Victor Wembanyama.
Athletes who have already been flag bearers cannot be chosen again, which has caused discontent among judoka Clarisse Agbégnénou, the flag bearer in Tokyo in 2021, who wished to be a flag bearer again in Paris. Teddy Riner, the flag bearer in Rio in 2016, will not be chosen in Paris.
Another criterion is having a clean criminal record and providing a declaration on honor that they have never been disciplined or penalized for any issues related to doping, match-fixing, or gender-based violence. This seems to exclude handball player Nikola Karabatic, who was convicted in 2017 for complicity in fraud related to suspicious sports bets.
If an athlete meets all criteria, they are free to apply to their federation, which will then present a male and female candidate after deliberation. However, it is impossible for both flag bearers, who will ultimately be chosen by the vote of all French athletes competing in the Olympics, to come from the same sport.
Among the names that have emerged strongly is Florent Manaudou. The swimmer, a triple Olympic medalist, admits that the role “makes him dream.” At 33 years old, he seems like the ideal candidate.
Silver medalist in Tokyo, basketball player Nicolas Batum could also be a credible option for the male category, as well as boxer Sofiane Oumiha from Toulouse, a silver medalist in Rio, who believes he has the values to represent the delegation.
For the female flag bearer, aside from Mélina Robert Michon, who fits the profile and could be a unanimous choice among the athletes, cyclist Pauline Ferrand-Prévot was a favorite in a YouGov survey conducted for Linternaute.com in mid-March.
The different federations can present their candidates between April 1 and May 31, while the announcement of the flag bearers will be made on April 17 during the J-100 ceremony.
