Who should be Canada's flag-bearer for the Winter Olympics?

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Canada will name its flag-bearer tomorrow — and there's no shortage of great candidates

In theory, choosing who will carry the Canadian flag into an Olympic opening ceremony should be pretty straightforward: just pick someone who has won a medal before and has a good chance to win another. Several Canadian athletes will meet this basic standard at any Games.

In practice, it's more complicated. Putting aside the politics involved in a decision like this, scheduling is a major headache. Athletes who compete too close to the opening ceremony are usually ruled out so as not to upset their focus. Others might be disqualified because their event starts later in the Games and they haven't arrived yet. Some just straight-up don't want to do it. Another wrinkle was added last year when the International Olympic Committee began encouraging countries to name a woman and a man to share the role. And, as with everything else, the pandemic just makes the whole process a little harder.

Which is all to say, the successful candidate is not necessarily the most deserving candidate. Sometimes, the best ability is availability. But let's pretend for a minute that logistical concerns do not exist. Who, in that case, ought to carry the Canadian flag into the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Beijing on Friday? Here would be some (but certainly not all) of the worthy candidates to receive the honour when the Canadian team announces its choice(s) on Wednesday at 6 a.m. ET:

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