End of suspense. The most awaited election of this beginning of the year delivered its verdict: in the program Tout le sport, Wednesday January 26, the names of the French flag bearers for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games were revealed. Tessa Worley and Kevin Rolland have been designated for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on Friday February 4 (1 p.m.). They thus succeed Martin Fourcade, while Benjamin Daviet will lead the Paralympic tricolor delegation (March 4-13).
A giant slalom specialist, Worley was crowned world champion in the discipline in 2013 and 2017. At 32, she wants to get the last medal she misses: an Olympic charm. Among men, the symbol is even stronger since the lucky winner, Kevin Rolland, was close to death in 2019 during a world record attempt. Multi-medal winner in halfpipe skiing, including a bronze medal in Sochi in 2014, the skier from La Plagne will compete in his third Olympic Games.
For his part, Benjamin Daviet was chosen to carry the flag at the Paralympic Games. Triple gold medalist in cross-country skiing and biathlon in 2018 in Pyeongchang, he returned with a total of five medals (three gold, two silver).
As with Tokyo last year, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee has decided that a duo (a man and a woman) will carry the French flag at the Olympics. For the first time, the general public was invited to vote after a preselection (69 athletes) established by the federations concerned (skiing, ice sports and hockey), according to the prize lists and the embodiment of the Olympic values.
The public vote made it possible to designate 26 ambassadors (13 women and 13 men), who formed a college of electors, but who could also present their candidacy to be chosen.
Six had taken the plunge. Besides Worley and Rolland, Guillaume Cizeron (figure skating), Maurice Manificat (cross-country skiing), Gabriella Papadakis (figure skating), and Julia Pereira (snowboarding) were in the running. Note the absence of Alexis Pinturault, who should have made a seven-hour trip to reach Beijing between two downhill training sessions. The tricolor headliner therefore had to throw in the towel.
For his part, the cross-country skier and biathlete Benjamin Daviet has been nominated by the French Paralympic athletes.