33-year-old Ontarian Miranda Ayim is playing her third games. She participated in those that were in London in 2012 and in Rio in 2016. There Canada ranked eighth and seventh, respectively. It was also at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, where the country took home the gold.
For his part, Nathan Hirayama is the co-captain of the 7-man rugby team, and the 33-year-old British Columbian is the leading scorer in Canadian history. He stands out as one of the best playmakers.At the end of the 2020 season, he ranked third in the history of the R7 World Rugby Championship.
They were selected in part for the thoughtful leadership they have demonstrated throughout their career, and they set an example for the spirit of this team in Canada. They are highly talented people who invest themselves in building their teammates and communities, and they have an awareness of past generations and aspirations for future generations.
said Marnie McBain, Chef de Mission for Team Canada.
a Honor
multiply by a liability
At a press conference, Ayim and Hirayama emphasized the honor of being fortunate enough to be the bearers of the flag, but also the special symbol that the choice to entrust this task to athletes in team sports sends.
Team sport requires being effective, but also being able to work in a team and knowing how to negotiate all kinds of challenges and personalities.
, explained Miranda Ayim via video conference Monday morning. These are things we all have to do every day, whether we are an athlete or not. I think it’s a great way to express the past year and a half for all Canadians.
The fact that Miranda Aim and Nathan Hirayama come from diverse backgrounds also adds to the honor of being the pioneer, a role that highlights not only the Canadian delegation but also the values conveyed by Olympic sport, Miranda believes. Ayim. Once you become a professional athlete and represent Canada on the international stage, you become a role model.
Acting is important. If we help a young athlete believe in his dreams because he sees us, that’s a great victory.
Ayim also sees his sport as a good example of the type Difference
To celebrate, for the sport that makes the best basketball players.
If I have one message for athletes across the country, it’s to embrace everything that makes you who you are. In basketball, we’re strong, we’re tall, and sometimes we have an aggressive side on the court…it’s all about our strength.
A sentiment shared by Nathan Hirayama, who ensures he doesn’t take on the role as a model lightly
. It’s our responsibility as an athlete
Especially for the captain of the team that will make his Olympic debut, he explained.
Especially since the cameras will be more than ever on the athletes, because the games will be held without spectators, just like the opening ceremony will take place in an empty stadium.
It will be a different party, especially for athletes like me who will be in their first games
Nathan Hirayama admitted. But it remains a special event. The opening ceremony will symbolize the beginning of something that has been questioned many times over the past few months. It will be a unique moment for the athletes present.
Live concert on Friday
The opening ceremony, hosted by Marie-José Turcotte and Celine Gallebo, will be broadcast live on Friday, starting at 6:30 a.m. (EST), on the web (ici.radio-canada.ca/jeux-olympiques) and on Radio Canada Television.
Online, the ceremony will also be broadcast in Quebec Sign Language (LSQ), described in the video, with captions and eight indigenous languages.
Friday evening, ICI Télé will rebroadcast the concert at 6:30 p.m. (EST).
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