The Paris 2024 Olympic Games is due to begin in the French capital on Friday night, as the opening ceremony officially welcomes the world to western Europe for a fortnight of 'excellence, friendship, and respect.'
As with every edition of the modern summer Olympics since 1896, the opening ceremony has featured each of the athletes being introduced to a crowd - although, as time has progressed, the scale and grandeur of the initial event has increased.
Not to be outdone, France has planned something unique for its third summer Olympics and first since 1924. For the first time ever, the opening ceremony will not take place inside the designated Olympic stadium.
Instead, 7,500 athletes will sail along a four-mile (6km) stretch of the River Seine on 85 boats, passing iconic landmarks such as Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris and Le Louvre - with the Eiffel Tower looming over the city in the background. Around 300,000 people are expected to turn out as rain is predicted to fall over northern France.
While it is unknown how many of the 120 golfers competing in the men's and women's golf events at Le Golf National will join the history-making nautical convoy, it has been confirmed that three of them will be flag bearer's for their respective countries.
It’s a huge honour for me and my family. Anyone who knows me knows how patriotic I am, how much I love representing Ireland around the world and playing for my country. Tonight will be special. @TeamIreland ☘️ #OlympicGames https://t.co/3njokPfYkbJuly 26, 2024
The most high-profile of which is Ireland's Shane Lowry, who will be joined by 100m hurdler Sarah Lavin. The 2019 Open Champion represented his country at the 2020 Olympics - finishing T22, eight strokes behind gold medallist Xander Schauffele - and admitted he was delighted to be asked to carry the flag on Friday night.
Speaking in a video shared by Team Ireland's Olympic social media channels, Lowry said: "It's a huge honour for me and my family. Anybody who knows me knows how much I love Ireland and how much I love playing for my country.
"I always wear the Irish flag with pride and to get to do something like this is something I'll remember forever."
Meanwhile, Fabrizio Zanotti - who is the World No.342 and regularly plays on the DP World Tour - will be the male flag bearer for Paraguay alongside his female peer, Alejandra Alonso - one of two rowers in their country's 28-person team (18 of which are the male soccer squad).
Zanotti was Paraguay's flag bearer at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as well and is hoping to improve on his T35 finish from last time out. The 41-year-old has seven professional victories in total - including two European Tour wins and an Asian Tour triumph. He is the sole golfer from his nation at Paris 2024.
The other golfer to act as a flag bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is Ines Laklalech, the women's World No. 298 from Morocco. Laklalech became the first Moroccan, Arab and North African woman to win a title on the LET when she landed the 2022 Lacoste Ladies Open de France. That is, so far, her only pro victory.
She is 26 years old and one of 60 athletes competing from Morocco - 18 of which are soccer players - although, once again, Laklalech is the only golfer representing her country and follows on from Maha Haddioui at the Tokyo Games.
While the men's Olympic golf event at Le Golf National takes place Thursday, August 1 until Sunday, August 4, Zanotti and co. will not have to wait too long before competing. However, Laklalech's event is towards the end of the Olympics, so she will have plenty of time for sight-seeing before the women's competition gets underway on Wednesday, August 7.
Another golfer to have previously been an Olympic flag bearer was Mexico's Gaby Lopez (Tokyo 2020).
