By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Tomas Satoransky will be a flag-bearer for the Czech Republic in the 2021 Olympic Games.
Per the Czech Olympic Committee, Satoransky was elected by his fellow Czech Olympians as one of the two athletes that will carry the country’s banner during the opening ceremony that will take place Friday (23/7) in the Japan National Stadium.
“I will probably be more nervous than before any match,” Satoransky said.
Satoransky led an underdog Czech basketball team to winning the Qualifiers of Victoria, Canada and thus making the Olympic Games for the first time. The Chicago Bulls guard averaged team-highs 16 points and 5.5 assists, along with 5.5 rebounds in the tournament to earn MVP.
“It’s an extraordinary thing that we qualified for the Olympics and we can be part of the delegation,” Satoransky said. And it’s a great honor for me to get trust from the other athletes.”
Tennis star Petra Kvitova (a two-time Wimbledon champion and bronze medalist in the 2016 Olympics) will also be bearing the Czech flag in the parade. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has ruled that countries can appoint a female and a male flag-bearer from this year’s Olympics so that both genders will be represented.
“I really like the new system,” Satoransky said. “It’s dignifying for the Olympics. And it’s even bigger thanks to the fact that I can be next to such a great athlete and a big name as Petra Kvitova. I guess I’ll appreciate it even more.”
Australia’s Patty Mills, Canada’s Miranda Ayim, Iran’s Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Japan’s Rui Hachimura, Latvia’s (3×3) Agnis Cavars, Mongolia’s (3×3) Khulan Onolbaatar, Serbia’s Sonja Vasic and USA’s Sue Bird, are the other basketball players who’ve been chosen as flag-bearers for the upcoming Olympics.