Vahan Mkhitaryan will carry the Armenian flag at the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games in Rio. Gagik Tasarukyan, the President of Armenia’s National Olympic Committee announced on Thursday that Mkhitaryan, who holds the national records in the 50 and 100 freestyle as well as the 50 butterfly, will be the nation’s flag bearer at the 31st Olympic Games.
Mkhitaryan will be the sixth Armenian to carry the nation’s flag at a Summer Olympics with the last being 2008 Taekwondo European Champion Arman Yeremyan who was the flag bearer in 2012.
This will be the first Olympic Games for the 19 year old Mkhitaryan, who has competed at the last two World Championships in Barcelona and Kazan as well as the most recent European Championships in London.
Mkhitaryan will be one of two Armenian swimmers to compete at the 2016 Games. Monika Vasilyan, who is the national record holder in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, will also represent the nation in Rio. This will be the first Olympic Games for the 20 year old Vasilyan.
In the same press conference where Tasarukyan revealed the country’s flag bearer he also expressed his confidence in the Olympic team as a whole, “We are ready now to win medals. I expect more than one, as we have a very strong team,” said Tasarukyan.
In 2012 the Armenian Olympic team, which consisted of 25 athletes, won one silver and bronze.