As just announced on #TeamUSA’s official Twitter account, the flag bearer for the United States at the 2016 Olympic Games will be announced on The Today Show later this morning.
THIS JUST IN: The #Rio2016 flag bearer for #TeamUSA will be announced THIS MORNING on the @TODAYShow!! Tune in! ???????? pic.twitter.com/xnhtASNrAM
— U.S. Olympic Team (@TeamUSA) August 3, 2016
22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps was reportedly on Team USA’s shortlist for potential athletes to carry the flag at the 2016 Olympic Games opening ceremony on August 5th, as was water polo player Tony Azevedo and diver David Boudia.
The official flag bearer is determined via vote by Team USA sport team captains, although NBC published a ‘fun fan’ ballot last week. Although unofficial, wrestler Jordan Burroughs leads that particular poll at the time of publishing. Burroughs earned a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games and was heavily involved in promoting the sport of wrestling as an Olympic sport when the discipline was threatened to be eliminated from the Olympic Games post-London.
The Today Show, broadcast on NBC, recently was the vehicle that revealed Team USA’s Opening Ceremony attire, as well as the Closing Ceremony outfits back in April.
New for 2016 is a unique jacket design to be worn by the Team USA flag bearer for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The exclusive jacket representing the ‘ultimate integration of innovation, fashion and technology.’ Embedded in the jacket are electroluminescent panels, which brightly illuminate individual elements of the fashion piece.
“The Flag Bearer Jacket will literally light the way for Team USA as they represent our country in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. This groundbreaking jacket exemplifies Ralph Lauren’s continued exploration of the intersection of fashion and technology. For an athlete, being chosen as the flag bearer for Team USA is an extraordinary honor, and we wanted to pay tribute to that position.” says David Lauren, Executive Vice President, Global Advertising, Marketing & Communications.
The GOAT !!!!!!
Phelps is the Flag Bearer!