MOSCOW: Maria Sharapova will be the Russian delegation’s flag-bearer at next month’s Olympic opening ceremony in London, Russia’s tennis chief Shamil Tarpishchev said on Tuesday.
The Russians have broken with tradition by choosing Sharapova, who won the French Open title last weekend.
Carrying the flag is considered a great honour in Russia and, until now, it was given only to famous athletes, mostly men, such as Greco-Roman wrestler Alexander Karelin and swimmer Alexander Popov, who have won numerous Olympic titles.
Sharapova, 25, will be making her Olympic debut in London after failing to qualify for the 2004 Games in Athens and missing the 2008 edition in Beijing with a shoulder injury.
“The Olympics has been a dream of mine since I was a young girl,” Sharapova, who was born in Siberia but is now based in Florida, said earlier this year. (Agencies)
