Tom Daley and Helen Glover have been confirmed as the joint Team GB flag bearers for Friday’s Olympics opening ceremony in Paris.
The duo are two of the most high-profile and experienced British athletes hoping to secure more medal success in France this summer.
Diver Daley, 30, is heading to his fifth Games in total, having first competed aged just 14 at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
He was one of the poster boys for the London 2012 event on home soil, winning bronze in the 10metre platform event.
Daley - a four-time world champion and five-time European champion - also won 10m synchro bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 alongside Daniel Goodfellow, finally winning gold in the 10m synchro with Matty Lee in Tokyo and also another bronze in the 10m platform.
Glover, meanwhile, is one of Britain’s greatest-ever rowers, winning gold in the coxless pair competition at both London 2012 and Rio 2016 alongside Heather Stanning.
She retired following the Rio Olympics in order to start a family, but returned to rowing in 2021 to make history and finished fourth alongside Polly Swann at the Tokyo Olympics.
Glover, 38, is a three-time world champion and five-time European champion who was ranked as the No1 female rower in the world back in 2015.
Daley said before Friday’s opening ceremony down the River Seine that is expected to last for four hours: “To be asked to be flag bearer is one of the greatest honours in my Olympic diving career. To be able to do it in my fifth Olympic Games and have my family here is a very special thing.
“It has always been a dream of mine, since I was a little kid. I remember in 2008 walking out behind the flag bearer right in the front line, because we were the smallest group of people, and to now be one of the two people to lead out the team is such a huge honour.
“If my dad was around now, he would be so incredibly proud, because he always said that you would know you have cemented your Olympic legacy if you are asked to be a flag bearer at an Olympic Games.”
Glover said: “This is probably the biggest honour of my life. I just love the Olympics and have always loved what it stood for. I still pinch myself that I am an Olympian, being a flagbearer and going down in history.
“I’ve never been to an opening ceremony before and I’ll be carrying the flag at my first one.. It’s unbelievable to be in this position.
“The team is full of amazing stories and inspirational people, so to be representing every athlete’s individual story when I stand there is really important to me.”
Daley is the first diver ever to be a flag bearer for Team GB at the Olympics, while Glover is the first female rower to do it.
In Tokyo, male rower Moe Sbihi performed the honours along with sailor Hannah Mills, while in Rio the flag was carried by Andy Murray. Legendary cyclist Chris Hoy was chosen for London 2012.
Team GB chef de mission Mark England said: “Tom and Helen exemplify and embody the values of Team GB and our great country. They are dedicated, hard-working, talented athletes, who have achieved greatness in their sports and have captured the affection of the nation in doing so.
“They are both truly proud to wear the Union Flag and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing that first hand at every Olympic Games they have attended. It is an absolute privilege to name them as flag bearers for Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
