UVic grad among Canadian flagbearers for Tokyo Olympic Games
A University of Victoria graduate and rugby athlete is one of two Canadians representing the country as a flagbearer for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Men's rugby sevens co-captain Nathan Hirayama and three-team Olympian Miranda Ayim will be the flagbearers for Canada during the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday, July 23.
Hirayama joined Canada's rugby sevens team in 2006 at just 18 years old. He's since competed in three Pan American Games and three Commonwealth Games with the national team, winning two golds and one silver at the Pan American Games.
This year's Olympic Games will be the first time that Canada's rugby sevens team has made it into the international competition.
"I feel hugely honoured to be nominated to be the flag bearer alongside Miranda," said Hirayama in a statement released by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) on Monday.
"I’ve been watching the Olympics for my entire life and understand the honour and privilege that comes with being the flagbearer," he said. "It’s something that I’ve never even dreamt of. I’m extremely excited to get to Tokyo with my team. We’ve been working hard together for a long time and can’t wait for our opportunity to show the world what we can do."
Meanwhile, three-time Olympic athlete Ayim will also be a flagbearer for the Games.
She made her Olympic debut with the women's basketball team in the London 2012 Games and has been representing the country in other international competitions for 15 years.
The COC says this will be the first year that a player from a national team sport will be a flagbearer for an Olympic opening ceremony.
"I feel incredibly honoured to lead Team Canada alongside Nathan into the Opening Ceremony and to be representing not only my fellow athletes of Team Canada, but also the greater Team Canada: our nation," said Ayim.
"The past year and a half demanded a high level of teamwork and Canadians from coast-to-coast demonstrated togetherness, camaraderie and sacrifice, true team spirit," she said.
Fifteen other athletes who were raised on Vancouver Island will be competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which run from July 23 to Aug 8.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.