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Kelly honoured to be VI’s flag bearer @ Rio Olympics

- said it’s the ‘icing on the cake’
Flag bearer for the Rio Olympics opening ceremony, Ashley N. Kelly (right) and the Virgin Islands most successful sprinter Tahesia G. Harrigan-Scott strike a pose with Vinicius, the official mascot for the Rio Olympics. Photo: Provided
A banner in the Virgin Islands showing support for Ashley N. Kelly. Photo: VINO
A banner in the Virgin Islands showing support for Ashley N. Kelly. Photo: VINO
The opening ceremony for the Rio Olympic Games will be held from 7:00 P.M. tomorrow, August 5, 2016. Photo: Provided
The opening ceremony for the Rio Olympic Games will be held from 7:00 P.M. tomorrow, August 5, 2016. Photo: Provided
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – The Virgin Islands (VI) Olympic delegation recently announced that Ashley N. Kelly has been chosen to be the flag bearer at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on Friday August 5, 2016.

The Virgin Islands will be represented by Kelly, the experienced Olympian Tahesia G. Harrigan-Scott, thrower Eldred Henry and Swimmer Elinah Phillip.

Kelly, however, has the duty of bearing the Virgin Islands flag at the opening ceremony, and sees this as no small task.

Speaking to Virgin Islands News Online today from the Olympic Village in Rio, Kelly, who was recently named a FLOW brand ambassador, said it is “an honour” to be the flag bearer.

“As if qualifying and competing wasn’t enough, this is truly the icing on the cake for me,” Kelly said.

Kelly, who will be competing for the first time at the Olympic Games, in the 200m, added: “To be chosen to hold the flag, to me, means that your country sees you as an ambassador to represent the country in a positive light, and that gives me a sense of pride to be given this opportunity on the biggest stage in sports.”

Tough decision

According to the Delegation currently assembling in Rio, including Mrs Stephanie Russ Penn, who is Chef De Mission, “It was a tough decision, but the BVIOC Executive, the Chef de Mission, along with the athletes and coaches, were all involved in the selection process, which takes into account the athlete’s sporting history, the premise of her attendance at the Games, and the best way of sharing the opportunity to be a flag bearer.”

Meanwhile, the Olympic Games curtain-raiser begins at 7:00 P.M., our time, at the famous Maracanã, officially the Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho which will stage the opening and closing ceremonies and the decisive matches of the men's and women's football tournaments (both finals and one semi-final in each).

The iconic venue was modernised for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and can hold 74,738 spectators.

The Ceremony will last for just over four hours. There will be dancing, lights, fireworks, some history and some celebrities.

Live coverage of all Olympic events including the events in which the territory’s athletes are competing as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be broadcast on CBN Television Channel 51 and on CBN Radio 90.9FM. Events take place from 8:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. EST and in the evenings from 7:00 P.M. until 11:00 P.M. EST.

 

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