Rebeca Andrade to carry the Olympic flag at the Milan Winter Games opening | OneFootball

The COB (Brazilian Olympic Committee) announced this Monday that Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade is among the eight personalities invited by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to carry the Olympic Flag at San Siro Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, which takes place on Friday.

“It is a huge honor and pride to receive this invitation from the IOC to be part of the Opening Parade of the Winter Games. It is a privilege to participate in this movement, to be alongside athletes from all over the world, to carry the Olympic Flag, to represent Brazil once again in such a special moment for all athletes and sports lovers,” said Rebeca.

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International Personality

At 26 years old, Rebeca has participated in three Olympic Games (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024), winning gold in Tokyo 2020 (vault) and Paris 2024 (floor), as well as being the winner of the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award in 2025.

The athlete is actively involved in causes such as women's rights, sustainability, and education, and was an ambassador for the IOC and UN Women’s program One Win Leads to Another Brazil.

Opening

The opening parade of Milan-Cortina 2026 will take place in two symbolic competition venues: at San Siro Stadium in Milan, accompanied by eight flag bearers; and in Cortina, with two more flag bearers.

In addition to Rebeca, the ceremony in Milan will feature Tadatoshi Akiba (Japan), former mayor of Hiroshima with a global commitment to nuclear disarmament; Maryam Bukar Hassan (Nigeria), artist and UN Global Peace Advocate; Nicolò Govoni (Italy), writer and activist; Filippo Grandi (Italy), vice-president of the Olympic Refuge Foundation; Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya), five-time Olympic champion in long-distance athletics; Cindy Ngamba, the first athlete from the Olympic Refugee Team to win an Olympic medal; and Pita Taufatofua (Tonga), pioneering athlete and humanitarian. In Cortina, Franco Nones, the first Italian Olympic champion in cross-country skiing history, and Martina Valcepina, multi-Olympic medalist in short track speed skating, will participate.

Brazilian Record

The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be held from February 6 to 22. This will be the edition with the largest number of athletes from Team Brazil: in total, 14 athletes, plus one reserve, will represent the country in Italy.

This number represents a 40% increase compared to Beijing 2022, when Brazil had 10 competitors.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.