Curler Forrest, hockey player Westlake named Canada's flag-bearers for Paralympics opening ceremony

When Team Canada enters the National Indoor Stadium for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Paralympics, it will be led by wheelchair curler Ina Forrest and Para hockey player Greg Westlake.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee announced on Tuesday that Forrest and Westlake would be the team's flag-bearers for the event, which begins Friday at 6:30 a.m. ET on CBC-TV, the free CBC Gem app and CBCSports.ca.

Forrest, 59, will compete at her fourth consecutive Games. She won gold in the first two but is now looking to avenge her 2018 bronze medal as part of a Canadian rink skipped by fellow Paralympic veteran Mark Ideson.

"It is a great privilege to be asked to be flag bearer, and it will truly be an honour, a thrill and a responsibility to carry the flag and show the whole world all the great athletes behind me," Forrest said.

"I remember my first time going into Vancouver 2010 and the feeling you had with the roar of all the Canadian supporters, and I know family and friends and lots of Canadians are watching and supporting us in the same way. I hope that all first-time Paralympians have that same feeling at these Games because it's a tremendous proud-to-be-Canadian moment."

The moment you've all been waiting for!