The U.S. flag bearers for the Paris Paralympic Opening Ceremony on Wednesday are sitting volleyball player Nicky Nieves and wheelchair basketball player Steve Serio, each a returning gold medalist.
Nieves, 34, was part of the women’s sitting volleyball team that won the Rio Paralympic tournament in 2016.
She was also named to the initial roster for the Tokyo Games, then tested positive for COVID-19 and missed the event. The U.S. repeated as Paralympic champion without her.
The women’s sitting team in Paris will try to become the first U.S. indoor volleyball team to win three consecutive titles at a Paralympics or an Olympics.
Serio, 37, is set to compete in his fifth and what he has said will be his final Games. The returning captain played on gold medal-winning teams in Rio and Tokyo.
No men’s team has ever won three consecutive Paralympic wheelchair basketball titles.
Starting with the Tokyo Games, nations have been encouraged to select one male and one female Opening Ceremony flag bearer. Previously, nations traditionally had one flag bearer.
The U.S. flag bearers for the Tokyo Paralympic Opening Ceremony were Paratriathlete Melissa Stockwell and wheelchair rugby player Chuck Aoki, both of whom made the team for Paris.
The Opening Ceremony airs live on USA Network and Peacock on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET.
It will be the first Paralympic Opening Ceremony to ever occur outside of a stadium, taking place along the Champs-Élysées and at the Place de la Concorde.
Medal competition in Paris runs from Aug. 29-Sept. 8.
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