The debate every four years seemed to have no reason to be this time. The Spanish flag bearer for the Tokyo Games had a clear candidate. For honors, it met the standard, which was established in 2012 to avoid controversy, Saúl Craviotto , double champion and four-time Olympic medalist. Although, suddenly, a few weeks ago, Mireia Belmonte lit the fuse: "It's time for a flag bearer," he ran.

While the Spanish Olympic Committee was considering solutions that did not hurt anyone, the International (CIO), has come this Wednesday to throw a cape. Thomas Bach has announced that at the Tokyo Olympic Games next summer, countries will have the option of having two flag bearers at the opening ceremony, a man and a woman. Not only that: he has asked the participating countries to opt for this option.

"We have decided that for the first time all participating countries must bring at least one athlete and one athlete to the Games. In addition, we have decided to change the Olympic protocol to allow an athlete and an athlete from the same country to carry their flag together during the opening ceremony. We encourage all national Olympic committees to make use of this option, "the president announced at a press conference following the meeting of the CIO executive committee in Switzerland.

So, to everyone's relief, most likely, the canoeist Craviotto doesn't carry just the flag. He would be accompanied by Belmonte -a gold and three more Olympic medals-, which already made his candidacy clear: "It is the greatest thing for an athlete, and there have only been two women [Infanta Doña Cristina in Seoul 88 and Isabel Fernández in Athens 2004] "I think it's time for a third. I know it can be me, I think I have a fairly complete record, although there are such good athletes that it will be a difficult decision. And if it's not me, it's a woman. It would be a nice tribute to everything that women have achieved in recent years. ”Also Lydia Valentín would enter the pools (a gold, a silver and a bronze).

Until now, only one person was serving as flag bearer for each country during the Olympic inauguration ceremony. Four years ago, in the Rio Olympics that honor of the Spanish delegation fell to tennis player Rafa Nadal .

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