Canada's ice dancing champions will carry the Canadian flag at the opening ceremonies of 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
The Canadian Olympic Committee announced Tuesday that Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will carry the flag at the opening ceremony, which will be held February 9 at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium.
London-native Virtue and the Ilderton-raised Moir are coming off their eighth Canadian ice dancing championship and were informed of their selection by Skate Canada’s high-performance director Michael Slipchuk partway through last weekend's competition, according to a release from the COC.
“To have him tell us that we’re going to have the honour to be flag bearers for Team Canada is a moment we’ll never forget,” said Moir in a released statement.
“It’s a privilege to fly the flag together as a united country and celebrate everything that makes Canada so special and it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly. We have to embody those Olympic values and we hope to make the country proud,” added Virtue.
This will mark the first time the Canadian flag hasn't been carried by an individual athlete at an Olympic opening ceremony.