Irish pair speak of pride after being selected as Winter Olympics flag bearers

Irish athletes Brendan Newby and Elsa Desmond have spoken of their pride at being selected as the country's flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The pair will have the honour of leading out the six-person Irish team at the National Stadium on Friday, 4 February [noon Irish time].

For freestyle skier Newby, known better as 'Bubba’, it’s one step better than South Korea in 2018 when he was Ireland’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium.

"Four years I got to be the flag bearer for the closing ceremony and I thought I had just peaked out on the coolest thing I could ever do, but now it looks like we’re breaking through that peak and going even higher," said Newby.

"I’m super excited about it. I was blown away when I got the call that it was going to be me. I said ‘you must have called the wrong number’ but no, it’s me and I’m absolutely fired up about it.

"I’m going to make sure to walk as slow as I can so we can get in there for a while."

Desmond, who will become the first Irish athlete to ever compete in the luge event at the Games, expects it to be an emotional affair.

"The opening ceremony and everyone walking out under their flags, obviously there is a political side and a financial side but when I was a kid, I didn’t see any of that. I just saw everyone coming together for what they loved because of sport.

"I saw that in the opening ceremony, all these countries putting forward what they’ve got and the best people they have and coming together for what everyone loves. I think there’s something beautiful in that and I always have.

"I don’t know if I’m going to cry when I’m actually walking out because it’s going to be a lot, but once we’ve gotten around to the