Croatian flag bearers announced for 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Croatian flag
The Council of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) has named Croatia’s flag bearers for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris today.
Judoka Barbara Matić and shooter Giovanni Cernogoraz will carry the Croatian flag at the opening ceremony of the XXXIII Summer Olympics which will be held in Paris from 26 July – 11 August, HOO said in a statement.
This decision was made by the Council of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) during an electronic session on Thursday, based on proposals from national sports federations of Olympic sports.
Although Barbara Matić is not yet on the HOO’s official list of candidates for Paris, her status is secured as the world number one.
The double world champion (this year also the European champion) was chosen as the flag bearer for Paris five days before the official announcement of her participation in her third Olympic Games.
Barbara Matić (Screenshot/Croatian Judo Federation)
Giovanni Cernogoraz had a remarkable pre-Olympic year in 2023, winning both world and European titles. His collection of trophies is highlighted by the Olympic gold medal he won in London in 2012.
It is worth noting that Cernogoraz was named Sportsman of the Year 2023 by the HOO, just as Barbara Matić shared the Sportswoman of the Year title with her fellow citizen, taekwondo athlete Lena Stojković.
For the second consecutive time, shooting will provide the Olympic flag bearer, following the lead of Olympic gold medallist Josip Glasnović in Rio 2016, who carried the Croatian flag at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo
Giovanni Cernogoraz Giovanni Cernogoraz (Photo credit: SpeedyGonsales/CC BY-SA 3.0)
Games, alongside athlete Sandra Perković. The Tokyo Games marked the first implementation of the IOC’s rule allowing both a male and a female athlete to jointly carry the national flag at the opening ceremony, promoting gender equality in sports.
Previous flag bearers include tennis legend Goran Ivanišević, who carried the Croatian flag at the opening of Croatia’s first Olympics as an independent nation back in 1992.
