Two reigning Olympic champions will carry the Canadian flag into the Opening Ceremony for Paris 2024.
For a week now, sprinter Andre De Grasse and weightlifter Maude Charron have held onto the secret that they were chosen to lead Team Canada into the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. The two athletes were informed of their selection by Team Canada Chef de Mission, four-time Olympian Bruny Surin.
“Fourteen years ago, I was running with the Olympic torch in the streets of Rimouski and I believed it was the closest I would get to Olympism in my life. Today I’m learning I will be a co-flag bearer for our country I’ve represented with honour for the last 10 years,” said Charron. “Words are not enough to express my gratitude and the joy I feel to be chosen to lead the way for this extraordinary and talent-filled team.”
Paris 2024 will mark a third Olympic Games for De Grasse, who is Canada’s most decorated male summer Olympian, with six medals to his name. During his Olympic debut at Rio 2016, De Grasse took bronze in the men’s 100m and silver in the men’s 200m, as well as a bronze medal as the anchor of Canada’s 4 x 100m relay team. At Tokyo 2020, De Grasse came home with a medal of every colour–gold in the 200m, bronze once again in the 100m, and silver with the 4 x 100m relay team.
It was a special moment for De Grasse to be informed of his flag bearer selection by Surin, a fellow sprinter who was a member of Team Canada’s gold medal-winning 4 x 100m relay team at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.
“Since I first met you in 2015, I’ve seen the journey that you’ve been through so far, and I just want to say that I’m very proud of you. You have carried the sprint legacy and represent Canada around the world with dignity,” Surin told De Grasse over Zoom, as the latter is at a staging in Italy ahead of the Games.
When asked if he would do Team Canada the honour of serving as flag bearer, De Grasse’s response was: “That would be a dream come true for me.”
Despite Paris 2024 being De Grasse’s third Olympic Games, this will be his first time attending the Opening Ceremony. With the athletics events generally taking place in the latter half of the Games, most athletics competitors do not arrive at the Olympic Village ahead of the big kickoff celebration.\
“I mean, I never thought that opportunity would ever come, you know, because of course being in track and field, we never get a chance to really go to the Opening Ceremony. So I mean, I’m excited just to even go and now to be the flag bearer for the country! I’m speechless–I’m trying to get the words out,” said De Grasse. “It’s definitely overwhelming, but I’m really pumped up and I’m really excited to try to take that on for the country and bring it home for Team Canada. So thank you. Thank you to everybody that has been part of giving me that opportunity. And I look forward to representing the country to my highest capability.”
Charron won gold in the women’s 64kg event at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 will be her second Olympic Games. This time, she’ll line up in the 59kg category, as her former weight class was removed from the Olympic programme–a challenge that Charron has met with grit and determination, resulting in her standing on podiums at the IWF World Championships and Pan American Games.
The 31-year-old was at home in Rimouski, Quebec when she received the video call from Surin.
“It’s hard to believe that I was the one chosen. There are so many good athletes on the team,” said an emotional Charron.
She later added that she wondered about the reasons for the video call, since she thought it unlikely that Surin would be communicating with many athletes just a few days before the Games.
“I found it suspicious as a phone appointment,” she confessed. Surin laughed, explaining that it was obviously difficult to outsmart an athlete who also has police training.
“It’s such a beautiful honour. The Paris 2024 [Opening] Ceremony will be unique and historic, with the parade on the boats. I can’t believe I’m the one leading the team. It’s a big deal here,” she mentioned, pointing to her heart.
Charron’s reaction to hearing she would share the flag bearer role with De Grasse was a sweet reminder that even Team Canada’s Olympic champions are often awestruck by their teammates.
“In Tokyo, I was at the bottom of the Canada building, outside, when my teammate Kristel [Ngarlem] elbowed me and said ‘That’s De Grasse!’ And that’s when I saw him, there he was, wearing his mask, because we all had to wear masks, and I discreetly tried to take a photo, like a real fangirl”, she recalled with a laugh.
Surin informed both De Grasse and Charron that they were chosen not just for their prowess on the field of play, but also for their embodiment of Team Canada’s values beyond the track or the gym.
One of De Grasse’s proudest achievements is the Andre De Grasse Family Foundation, which is committed to inspiring and empowering youth through access to sport, education, and healthcare, including mental health. Charron hopes to be an inspiration for young girls and young athletes, having proven that it’s possible to achieve an Olympic dream while continuing to train in her small hometown.
Charron is the first weightlifter to ever serve as Team Canada’s Opening Ceremony flag bearer at an Olympic Games. The last track and field athlete to have the honour was Charmaine Crooks at Atlanta 1996.
De Grasse and Charron will serve as a memorable duo for what is set to be a memorable Opening Ceremony. For the first time in Olympic history, the Opening Ceremony will not take place in a stadium, but rather will involve a procession along the Seine, with spectators able to view the athletes as they pass on barges along the six kilometre route. This unprecedented accessibility will make the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony the biggest ever.
“Since we’re on boats, I won’t be stressed about tripping and falling,” Charron said with a laugh.
The Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will get underway at 7:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m ET/10:30 a.m. PT) on Friday July 26.
Competition will begin for De Grasse with the first round of the men’s 100m on August 3 at Stade de France. Charron will have to wait until August 8 to compete, which is when the women’s 59kg event takes place at the South Paris Arena 6.
