From Poulin to Hamelin, Team Canada has abundance of riches in choosing flag-bearer

The unveiling of Canada's flag-bearer traditionally signals the Olympics are about to begin.

It comes after plenty of speculation around which a decorated athlete -- or perhaps two -- will have the honour of leading Canada's red-clad athletes into the Opening Ceremony.

From snowboarder Mark McMorris to moguls king Mikael Kingsbury to women's hockey star Marie-Philip Poulin, Canada has an abundance of riches to choose from.

But the selection is complicated by other factors, such as competition schedules -- Kingsbury competes the day after the opening ceremonies so wouldn't want to spend hours on his feet -- and the COVID-19 pandemic that restricts the time athletes are permitted to be in the village. Athletes who compete later in the Games might not yet be in Beijing for the opening ceremony on Feb. 4 at Bird's Nest Stadium.

Ice dance stars Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir carried Canada's flag into the opening of the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018, and hockey superstar Hayley Wickenheiser four years before that.

The International Olympic Committee voted to permit countries to select a male and female athlete to share flag duties to improve gender parity at the Games, and last summer in Tokyo, women's basketball veteran Miranda Ayim and rugby sevens player Nathan Hirayama both carried Canada's flag.

There's a good chance Canada will name two people again in Beijing.

In a perfect world, with no scheduling conflicts, here are a few favourites, including some terrific male/female duos, to carry the Maple Leaf:

Mark McMorris, snowboarding

The 28-year-old Regina native is one of the most decorated snowboard athletes in history. He won bronze at the Pyeongchang Games less than a year after suffering near-fatal injuries when he hit a tree at Whistler, B.C. He broke his jaw, left arm, ribs, and pelvis, ruptured his spleen and had a collapsed lung.

Marie-Philip Poulin, hockey

Nicknamed "Captain Clutch," the 30-year-old from Beauceville, Que., scored the game-winning goals at both the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. She's also a two-time world champion, who scored the golden goal for Canada at the 2021 world tournament.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, ice dance

An ideal female/male duo for flag duties, the reigning world bronze medallists are making their second Olympic appearance, after narrowly missing out on qualifying for the 2014 Games. They competed in Pyeongchang while Gilles' mom was dying of brain cancer. She's since become a spokesperson for brain cancer research.

Marielle Thompson and Brady Leman, ski cross

Both are Olympic champions, and represent a sport at which Canada excels. Thompson, a 29-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C., captured gold at the 2014 Games. She tore her ACL just four months before the 2018 Games, but earned a spot on the team, and tore the same ACL again last March, but rebounded again to book a berth on the Beijing squad. Leman, a 35-year-old form Calgary who is making his fourth Games appearance, won gold in 2018.

Mikael Kingsbury, freestyle skiing

The 29-year-old moguls king from Deux-Montagnes, Que., is one of the most decorated freestyle athletes on the planet. He's the defending Olympic champion and recently climbed the World Cup podium for the 101st time. He's a star in a sport that Canada dominates, winning a world-best 25 medals since the discipline made its Games debut in 1992.

Charles Hamelin and Kim Boutin, short-track speedskating

Hamelin will race in his fifth and final Olympics in Beijing. The 37-year-old from Sainte-Julie Que., has five Olympic medals, including three gold, tying him for Canada's most decorated male winter Olympian. Boutin received online death threats after the 500 metres in Pyeongchang after a disqualification. The 27-year-old from Sherbrooke, Que., won a silver and bronze in South Korea and was selected Canada's flag-bearer in the closing ceremonies. She stepped away from skating during the pandemic for mental health reasons.

Cynthia Appiah and Justin Kripps, bobsled

Appiah and Kripps also make a perfect male/female flag-bearing combo as trailblazers in their sport. Appiah, a 31-year-old from Toronto, could win Canada's first medal in women's monobob after finishing third overall on the World Cup circuit. She's also passionate in encouraging more Black athletes to consider winter sports. And Kripps, a 35-year-old from Summerland, B.C., is the reigning Olympic two-man champion and is looking to climb the podium in four-man as well.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2022