Curler Chloe Fediuk and freeskier Charlie Beatty named Canadian flag bearers for Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Opening Ceremony
Fediuk, one of the most experienced athletes in Canada's team of six curlers, is excited at the 'lifetime opportunity' to carry the flag at the start of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) on 19 January.
Curling
Curler Chloe Fediuk and freestyle skier Charlie Beatty will be the flagbearers for the Opening Ceremony at Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games on Friday (19 January).
Fediuk recently represented Canada at the World Junior-B Curling Championship in Finland last December.
“I was in disbelief when I got the call…that I was selected as the female Opening Ceremony flag bearer for Team Canada,” said Fediuk, whose silver from the Junior-B Champs, qualified Team Canada to the 2024 World Junior Curling Championships this February.
“It didn’t sink in until later that day when I said it out loud and I was overcome with emotion. Excited is an understatement of how I’ve felt since I received the news; it is truly an honour to be granted this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The 17-year-old was also part of the team that won silver at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. Her team also became the first national squad to win the Canadian Under-21 and Under-18 titles in the same season.
Canada’s Winter Youth Olympic Games adventure begins with the mixed team event on 20 January, where they are paired against Italy.
The Canadian mixed team includes skip Nathan Gray, Fediuk, Owain Fisher, and Allie Iskiw, while Cariley Locke and Simon Perry are in the mixed doubles.
“It’s one thing to represent your province, but to represent your country…it’s so much bigger,” said Fediuk, from Edmonton, where she's considered a community champion for her commitment to sharing the love of curling.
Gray, the skip, is also hankering for their big moment on Olympic ice at the Gangneung Curling Centre, which was also the venue for competitions at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games.
“I have no idea how to describe how cool it’s going to be,” said Gray. “It’s what you dream about as a kid.”
Canada has dominated Winter Olympic curling since it was brought back into the Olympics program at Nagano 1998. The North American nation has won six gold medals across men's (3 golds), women’s (2 golds), and mixed doubles (1 gold).
The Youth Olympic team's first mixed doubles game at Gangwon 2024 will be on 27 January.
A record 1,900 athletes are due to take part in the fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, to be held from 19 January to 1 February.
Watch action from Gangwon 2024 live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app.