Eve Muirhead and Dave Ryding named as Team GB flagbearers

Eve Muirhead and Dave Ryding have been named as flagbearers for Team GB at the Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony on Friday (4 February).

Muirhead, 31, is skip of the British women's curling team for the fourth Games in succession and will seek to add to her bronze medal at Sochi 2014.

And maybe she could emulate the gold medal team at Salt Lake 2002 skipped by Rhona Howie (formerly Martin), as documented in the new feature documentary 'A Brilliant Curling Story'.

Before then, Muirhead will be worrying about making sure there aren't any mishaps as she walks in to the National Stadium in the Parade of Nations.

She told Olympics.com "When I do think about it, I get a little nervous to be honest. You're obviously scared you're going to trip or you're going to drop the flag.

"It's going to be a moment I'm not going to forget and I really, really cannot wait for it. It's going to be an exciting day."

Slalom skier Ryding, 35, is also competing at his fourth consecutive Games and made history a fortnight ago at Kitzbuehel when he became the first Briton to win an Alpine Ski World Cup race.

He said he was "still a little speechless" hours after being told he would be on flag duty in the Opening Ceremony.

"I'm still trying to process the whole thing. It's going to be a huge honour. I don't think you get many or any bigger honours as a professional athlete than to lead your nation, a nation I'm very proud to represent, even without taking out the flag.

"I'll do it with great pride. Not much more to say and, hopefully, I'll do the country proud."

Ryding's best performance was ninth at PyeongChang four years ago. He will bid to become Britain's first Olympic medallist in alpine skiing after Alain Baxter was stripped of bronze at Salt Lake 2002 for a positive drugs test caused by a banned substance found in his nasal inhaler.

The pair head a squad of 50 athletes with Muirhead, freestyle skiers Izzy Atkin and Gus Kenworthy - who previously represented the United States - and skeleton rider Laura Deas already with Olympic medals to their name.

When to watch the Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022

The Opening Ceremony gets underway in the Beijing National Stadium, aka the Bird's Nest, at 20:00 local time (1200 GMT).

The Parade of Nations is by alphabetical order in the national language of the host country so Great Britain will be 44th out of the 91 National Olympic Committees being represented.

By tradition, Greece - as the birthplace of the Ancient Olympics - will be the first nation with Turkey next given its Mandarin Chinese translation. Hosts China will be last.