SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

Denmark

Crown Prince Frederik hands out Danish Olympic flag and unveils Tokyo flag bearers

On Thursday, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark met with the Danish Olympic team and handed them the Danish flag to carry during the Games. 

With the Tokyo Olympic Games set to start in less than a month, more and more teams are receiving the flags to carry to Japan in representation of their nation. 

It was the case for the Danish team, whose flag bearers were received by the Crown Prince before their departure. The event took place on the roof terrace at Experimentarium in Copenhagen.

During this meeting, Crown Prince Frederik also revealed who will perform the role of flag bearer at both the Olympic and Paralympic games. For the Olympic games, the role went to runner Sara Plott Petersen and sailor Jonas Warrer. For the Paralympic Games, which will also take place in Tokyo about a month after the Olympics, taekwondo fighter Lisa Gjessing and athlete Daniel Wagner will have the honour of carrying the Danish flag. 

During the event, it was also revealed that the Crown Prince Couple has had a role in the design of the Danish team’s Olympic uniforms. 

Crown Prince Frederik has been a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2009 and recently announced his decision to retire from the active position to focus more on national projects and environmental issues. This doesn’t mean he will be totally ousted from the IOC; depending on a vote the members will have at some point in 2021, Crown Prince Frederik could be asked to maintain a role within the IOC, though a more passive one, which he has expressed an interest in. 

Crown Prince Frederik is far from being the only royal in the IOC; several members are in fact blue-blooded, including Prince Albert of Monaco (who has also competed in the winter Olympics for bobsledding), The Princess Royal (who competed as an equestrian, as did her daughter, Zara Tindall) and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. King Felipe of Spain also competed in the Olympic Games in Barcelona 1992 as a sailor.