Top showjumper Peder Fredricson is among the eight equestrians who will carry their nations’ flags at the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony in the French capital tonight (26 July).
Five showjumpers and three dressage riders will have the prestigious honour of being flag bearers.
Peder, who has four Olympic medals to his name including team gold and two individual silvers, has been named as one of the Swedish flag bearers.
Paris is Peder’s fourth Olympic Games appearance – his first being in the eventing at Atlanta 1992, where he finished 14th, before his career change to showjumping. He was part of the silver medal-winning side at Athens 2004, then won back-to-back individual silver medals at the last two Olympics, and also helped Sweden to the team title in Tokyo.
This year, he rides the 18-year-old Catch Me Not S, the European individual bronze medallist from 2021. Peder will carry the flag alongside multiple medalist Josefin Olsson, who is competing in sailing at this year’s Games.
Fellow showjumper Jérôme Guery has been chosen as Belgian flag bearer, alongside top basketball player Emma Meesseman.
Jérôme will partner his experienced championship ride Quel Homme Du Hus in Paris, with whom he bagged team bronze in Tokyo, individual world silver in 2022 and European team gold in 2019.
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Rising showjumping star Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi, who is competing at his first senior Olympics having won individual silver at the youth edition in 2018, will carry the UAE flag alongside cyclist Safia Al Sayegh.
Omar, 21, recently completed his final semester at Sorbonne University and helped the William Funnell-coached UAE side secure Olympic team qualification last year. He will ride the 10-year-old stallion Enjoy De La Mure.
Olympic veteran Ramzy Al Duhami, who rides Untouchable 32, is a flag bearer for Saudi Arabia. Ramzy’s first Games were in 1996 and he was part of the bronze medal-winning showjumping side at London 2012. He will be joined in the honour by taekwondo star Dunya Abutaleb.
Amre Hamcho will carry the Syrian flag, with sprinter and hurdler Alisar Youssef. Amre rides 15-year-old gelding Vagabon Des Forets, having secured his country’s second-ever Olympic equestrian place for Paris.
Pan American Games individual dressage gold medallist Julio Mendoza Loor, who won the Aachen CDI4* freestyle this month with his Olympic ride Jewels Goldstrike, will carry the flag for Ecuador alongside weightlifter Neisi Patricia Dajomes Barrera.
Lithuania has selected dressage rider Justina Vanagaitè-Samuile, who was understood to be the first rider to compete at a CDI5* without spurs when she took to the arena in Doha this year. She will ride Nabab in Paris, and has been chosen to carry the flag with sailor Rytis Jasiunas.
Dutch-based Moroccan dressage rider Yessin Rahmouni, who will compete in Paris aboard his Tokyo Olympic ride All At Once, completes the line-up of equestrian flag bearers at the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony. He is returning from injury, after breaking three vertebrae in his neck in a fall in March and was back in the saddle in June.
Yessin will be joined by golfer Ines Laklalech.
The Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony will start at 6.30pm UK time (7.30pm CET). Coverage will start from 5.45pm UK time on BBC One.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
