GOLFER Shane Lowry and 100m hurdler Sarah Lavin will carry the tricolour for Team Ireland in tonight’s Olympics opening ceremony in Paris.
The two athletes will head up the 133-strong Irish team at the opening ceremony on the banks of the River Seine in Paris.
Both Lavin and Lowry are set to become two-time Olympians, with both having competing in the Tokyo 2020 games which were held in 2021.
𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬 | Paris 2024
— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) July 26, 2024
“It’s the greatest honour, I’ve ever been given.” 🥹💚
Sarah Lavin and Shane Lowry are our Team Ireland Flagbearers for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony ✨#TeamIreland | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/nisrUyyjRj
Speaking to Team Ireland on social media ahead of the ceremony tonight, Lavin said: “It’s surreal, to be honest with you, the greatest honour I’ve ever been given and I would even go as far as to say probably any Olympic athlete ever could be given, to carry the country’s flag.
“It’s emotional as well, there’s no point in lying to you about it because there’s a lot of people you’re representing and you’re on the biggest sporting stage.”
Lowry, fresh from the Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland, said: " It’s a huge honour for me and my family.
“Anybody who knows me knows how patriotic I am and how much I love Ireland and how much I love my country.
“It’s something that I’m not sure you’d even dream about as a kid because it’s so far out there, it’s sometimes not achievable but to get to do something like that is a huge honour for me and I always wear the Irish flag with pride.”
When is the Olympic Opening ceremony?
The opening ceremony will take place tonight at 6.30pm and will finish at 10.15pm.
What TV channel can I watch it on?
You can watch it on BBC One NI, with coverage starting at 5.45pm
