This is great news for Chinese who didn’t get tickets to the Opening Ceremony. They will still know when their national flag is being paraded about the Bird’s nest because they will be able to see it waving above the top.

Yao Ming will carry the flag in for the Middle Kingdom as he did for China four years ago in Athens.

For the past six Summer Games, China has tapped a basketball star to carry the flag…and not because they are good looking or cute, mind you. Yao is case in point.

Wang Libin (1984),

Song Tao (1988),

Song Li (1992),

Liu Yudong (1996 and 2000) and

Yao Ming (2004).

The general idea is to choose the best or most unique to carry the flag.

Switzerland will ask Roger Federer holder of the No 1 ranking for 238 consecutive weeks.

America will ask Sudan-born Lopez Lomong to represent the Red, White and Blue.  She will run the 1,500 meter.

source

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