Double Olympic medallist Daniel Wiffen, and Olympic bronze medallist Mona McSharry will be the Team Ireland flagbearers at Sunday’s closing ceremony of the Paris Games in the Stade de France.
Wiffen and McSharry, who were both competing in their second Olympic Games, will jointly carry the Irish tricolour at the ceremony.
“I’m so happy, I think it’s a great privilege to hold the flag, and I’m going to hold it high around the stadium and I really can’t wait; it’s a dream come true for me,” said Wiffen
Sligo’s McSharry, who won the first medal of these Games for Team Ireland said: “I was so shocked when they selected me among so many amazing athletes who competed at the Games.
“I am so excited and grateful for this amazing opportunity to be one of the Flagbearers for Ireland. This is a great way to close out an incredible Olympic Games.”
The pair lead the Irish delegation into the Stade de France dressed in their custom Laura Weber-designed Team Ireland gear.
The colours of the tricolour feature in the green jacket they will wear, inspired by the tracksuit top Sonia O’Sullivan wore when receiving her medal at the Sydney Games in 2000.
Team Ireland Chef de Mission for Paris 2024 Gavin Noble said: “It has been an exciting couple of weeks and we will all be very proud to be led into the closing ceremony by Daniel and Mona.
“This Team Ireland, our centenary team, has brought us to new heights, and we are all looking forward to celebrating together, not just in Paris tomorrow night, but when we return to Dublin on Monday.”
The closing ceremony of these Games will take place at 8pm Irish time on Sunday.
The same artistic director that oversaw the unique opening ceremony along the River Seine, Thomas Jolly, is at the helm for the closing ceremony with most of the details closely guarded, but the theme is ‘Records’.
The stadium is set to be transformed into a gigantic concert hall on the night with dancers, performers and circus acrobats performing alongside world famous singers, with part of the show taking place in the air accompanied by spectacular lighting effects, concluding a handover to LA 2028.