2008 Beijing Olympics flag bearers and country order
Here is a list of who will carry the flag and lead their country into the Birds Nest at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The list of countries entering the stadium is in Chinese alphabetical order. It’s an IOC rule for countries to enter the stadium in alphabetical order of the local language. Australia for example, is usually one of the first countries, but will be the 203rd country. Greece always leads the procession with the host country entering last.
The United States will be the 140th country to enter the stadium.
1 Greece (GRE) Ilias Iliadis Judo
2 Guinea (GUI)
3 Guinea-Bissau (GBS)
4 Turkey (TUR)
5 Turkmenistan (TKM) Guvanch Nurmuhamedov Judo
6 Yemen (YEM)
7 Maldives (MDV)
8 Malta (MLT) Marcon Bezzina Judo
9 Madagascar (MAD)
10 Malaysia (MAS) Azizul Hasni Awang Cycling (track)
11 Mali (MLI) Daba Modibo Keita Taekwondo
12 Malawi (MAW)
13 FYR Macedonia (MKD) Atanas Nikolovski Canoe / Kayak (slalom)
14 Marshall Islands (MHL) Waylon Muller
15 Cayman Islands (CAY)
16 Bhutan (BHU)
17 Ecuador (ECU)
18 Eritrea (ERI)
19 Jamaica (JAM)
20 Belgium (BEL) Se’bastien Godefroid Sailing
21 Vanuatu (VAN) Priscila Tommy Table tennis
22 Israel (ISR) Michael Kolganov Canoe / Kayak (flatwater)
23 Japan (JPN) Ai Fukuhara Table tennis
24 Chinese Taipei (TPE) Lai Shengrong Softball
25 Central African Republic (CAF)
26 Hong Kong, China (HKG) Wong Kam-po Cycling
27 Gambia (GAM)
28 Benin (BEN)
29 Mauritius (MRI)
30 Mauritania (MTN)
31 Denmark (DEN) Joachim Olsen Athletics (shot put)
32 Uganda (UGA)
33 Ukraine (UKR) Yana Klochkova Swimming
34 Uruguay (URU) Alejandro Foglia Sailing (Laser)
35 Uzbekistan (UZB)
36 Brunei Brunei (BRU)
37 Barbados (BAR)
38 Papua New Guinea (PNG)
39 Brazil (BRA) Robert Scheidt Sailing (Star)
40 Paraguay (PAR) Vi’ctor Fatecha Athletics (javelin throw)
41 Bahrain (BRN) Rakia Al Gassra Athletics (sprints)
42 Bahamas (BAH)
43 Panama (PAN) Irving Saladino Athletics (long jump)
44 Pakistan (PAK) Zeeshan Ashraf Field hockey
45 Palestine (PLE)
46 Cuba (CUB) Mijail Lopez Wrestling (Greco-Roman)
47 Burkina Faso (BUR)
48 Burundi (BDI)
49 Timor-Leste (TLS)
50 Qatar (QAT)
51 Rwanda (RWA)
52 Luxembourg (LUX)
53 Chad (CHA)
54 Belarus (BLR) Alexandr Romankov
55 India (IND) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Shooting
56 Indonesia (INA) I Gusti Made Oka Sulaksana Sailing (RS:X)
57 Lithuania (LTU) S(aru-nas Jasikevic(ius Basketball
58 Niger (NIG)
59 Nigeria (NGR)
60 Nicaragua (NCA) Alexis Arguello
61 Nepal (NEP) Deepak Bista Taekwondo
62 Ghana (GHA)
63 Canada (CAN) Adam van Koeverden Canoe / Kayak (flatwater)
64 Gabon (GAB)
65 San Marino (SMR) Daniela Del Din Shooting
66 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VIN)
67 Saint Lucia (LCA)
68 Sa~o Tome’ and Pri’ncipe (STP)
69 Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN)
70 Guyana (GUY)
71 Djibouti (DJI)
72 Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) Talant Dzhanagulov Judo
73 Laos (LAO)
74 Armenia (ARM) Albert Azaryan Gymnastics (coach)
75 Spain (ESP) David Cal Figueroa Canoe / Kayak (flatwater)
76 Bermuda (BER)
77 Liechtenstein (LIE)
78 Congo (CGO)
79 DR Congo (COD)
80 Iraq (IRQ)
81 Iran (IRI) Homa Hosseini Rowing
82 Guatemala (GUA) Kevin Cordon Buezo Badminton
83 Hungary (HUN) Zolta’n Kammerer Canoe / Kayak (flatwater)
84 Dominican Republic (DOM) Fe’lix Sa’nchez Athletics (400m Hurdles)
85 Dominica (DMA)
86 Togo (TOG)
87 Iceland (ISL)
88 Guam (GUM)
89 Angola (ANG)
90 Antigua and Barbuda (ANT)
91 Andorra (AND)
92 Tonga (TGA)
93 Jordan (JOR) Zeina Shaban Table tennis
94 Equatorial Guinea (GEQ)
95 Finland (FIN) Juha Hirvi Shooting
96 Croatia (CRO) Ivano Balic’ Handball
97 Sudan (SUD)
98 Suriname (SUR)
99 Libya (LBA) Mohamed Ben Saleh Judo
100 Liberia (LBR)
101 Belize (BIZ)
102 Cape Verde (CPV)
103 Cook Islands (COK) Sam Pera Junior Weightlifting
104 Saudi Arabia (KSA)
105 Algeria (ALG)
106 Albania (ALB) Sahit Prizreni Wrestling (Freestyle)
107 United Arab Emirates (UAE) Maitha bint Mohammed Al Maktoum[41] Taekwondo
108 Argentina (ARG) Manu Gino’bili Basketball
109 Oman (OMA)
110 Aruba (ARU)
111 Afghanistan (AFG)
112 Azerbaijan (AZE) Farid Mansurov Wrestling
113 Namibia (NAM) Mannie Heymans Cycling (mountain bike)
114 Tanzania (TAN)
115 Latvia (LAT) Vadims Vasil,evskis Athletics (Javelin Throw)
116 Great Britain (GBR) Mark Foster Swimming (50m freestyle)
117 British Virgin Islands (IVB)
118 Kenya (KEN) Wilfred Bungei Athletics (800M)
119 Romania (ROU) Valeria Bese Handball
120 Palau (PLW)
121 Tuvalu (TUV) Logona Esau Weightlifting
122 Venezuela (VEN) Softball Team Softball
123 Solomon Islands (SOL) Wendy Hale Weightlifting
124 France (FRA) Tony Estanguet Canoe / Kayak (slalom)
125 Poland (POL) Marek Twardowski Canoe / Kayak (flatwater)
126 Puerto Rico (PUR) McWilliams Arroyo Judo
127 Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) Amel Mekic’ Judo
128 Bangladesh (BAN) Rubel Rana Swimming
129 Bolivia (BOL)
130 Norway (NOR) Ruth Kasirye Weightlifting
131 South Africa (RSA)
132 Cambodia (CAM)
133 Kazakhstan (KAZ) Bakhyt Akhmetov Weightlifting
134 Kuwait (KUW)
135 Co^te d’Ivoire (CIV)
136 Comoros (COM)
137 Bulgaria (BUL) Petar Stoychev Swimming (marathon)
138 Russia (RUS) Andrei Kirilenko Basketball
139 Syria (SYR)
140 United States (USA) Lopez Lomong Athletics (1500metres)
141 Virgin Islands (ISV)
142 American Samoa (ASA)
143 Honduras (HON)
144 Zimbabwe (ZIM)
145 Tunisia (TUN)
146 Thailand (THA) Manus Boonjumnong Boxing
147 Egypt (EGY) Karam Gaber Wrestling (Greco-Roman)
148 Ethiopia (ETH)
149 Lesotho (LES)
150 Mozambique (MOZ)
151 Netherlands (NED)
152 Netherlands Antilles (AHO)
153 Grenada (GRN)
154 Georgia (GEO)
155 Somalia (SOM)
156 Colombia (COL) Mari’a Luisa Calle Cycling (track)
157 Costa Rica (CRC)
158 Trinidad and Tobago (TRI)
159 Peru (PER) Sixto Barrera Wrestling (Greco-Roman)
160 Ireland (IRL) Ciara Peelo Sailing (Laser Radial)
161 Estonia (EST) Martin Padar Judo
162 Haiti (HAI)
163 Czech Republic (CZE) Stepanka Hilgertova Canoe / Kayak (Slalom)
164 Kiribati (KIR)
165 Philippines (PHI) Manny Pacquiao
166 El Salvador (ESA)
167 Samoa (SAM)
168 Micronesia (FSM)
169 Tajikistan (TJK) Dilshod Nazarov Athletics (hammer)
170 Vietnam (VIE)
171 Botswana (BOT)
172 Sri Lanka (SRI) Susanthika Jayasinghe Athletics (sprints)
173 Swaziland (SWZ)
174 Slovenia (SLO) Urs(ka Z(olnir Judo
175 Slovakia (SVK) Elena Kaliska’ Canoe / Kayak (slalom)
176 Portugal (POR) Nelson E’vora Athletics
177 South Korea (KOR) Jang Sung-Ho Judo
178 North Korea (PRK)
179 Fiji (FIJ) Makelesi Bulikiobo Athletics (sprints)
180 Cameroon (CMR) Frank Moussima Judo
181 Montenegro (MNE) Veljko Uskokovic’ Water polo
182 Chile (CHI) Fernando Gonza’lez Tennis
183 Austria (AUT) Hans-Peter Steinacher Sailing (Tornado)
184 Myanmar (MYA)
185 Switzerland (SUI) Roger Federer Tennis
186 Sweden (SWE)
187 Nauru (NRU)
188 Mongolia (MGL) Mahgal Bayarjavhlan Judo
189 Singapore (SIN) Li Jiawei Table tennis
190 New Zealand (NZL) Mahe Drysdale Rowing
191 Italy (ITA) Antonio Rossi Canoe / Kayak (flatwater)
192 Senegal (SEN)
193 Serbia (SRB) Jasna S(ekaric’ Shooting
194 Seychelles (SEY)
195 Sierra Leone (SLE)
196 Cyprus (CYP) George Achilleos Shooting
197 Mexico (MEX) Paola Espinosa Diving
198 Lebanon (LIB)
199 Germany (GER) Dirk Nowitzki Basketball
200 Moldova (MDA) Nicolai Ceban Wrestling (Freestyle)
201 Monaco (MON)
202 Morocco (MAR)
203 Australia (AUS) James Tomkins Rowing
204 Zambia (ZAM)
205 China (CHN) Yao Ming Basketball
An interesting fact : its in 2008, 8th of 8th Month . Opening time is 8:08 local time. so 08/08/2008 @ 8:08 PM. Do the find 8 as lucky no?
i am not chinese myself, but yes the chinese do find the number 8 as lucky
[...] Here is a list of flag bearers. [...]
surprisingly though they are not 8th in the order….
Remove the link to the french team. They think they are all that with their ugly language. English is the world language.. get over it!!!!
You’re a knob Best Buy. Did you only just figure out 08/08/08? The world has been aware of this fact for the past couple of years now.
another twist oin the number 8 is that if you convert 8:08pm local time to the 24 hour clock it becomes 2008 08 08 2008
Thanks for that, I’d been looking for the running order, as I was trying to time fag breaks between interesting countries 
[...] (help with list from here) [...]
who was the flag bearer for Monaco?
Spectacular opening. But this is got to be the MOST POLLUTED VENUE for the olympics so far. VERY POLLUTED PLACE.
isn’t brunei included?
may i know why the order wasnt placed alphabetically?i missed my country’s entrance..(philippines)
[...] Here is a list of flag bearers. [...]
The entering order WAS in alphabetical order… just not in English alphabetical order.
The list of countries entering the stadium is in CHINESE ALPHABETICAL ORDER. The countries entering the stadium go by alphabetical order of the language of the host country. For example Australia, going by english alphabetical order, would normally be one of the first countries to enter but in chinese alphabetical order, they were the 203rd country to enter. And Greece is always first because they’re the country that started the Olympics thousands of years ago. Lastly, the host country (in this case China) is always the one that enters last.
Thank you for the info. It was helpful to see my country parading
Actually, the order is based on the number of strokes in the Chinese character that make the name of the country.
They were brought in by Chinese stroke order. They don’t really have an alphabet like we do, but they use the # of strokes used for their symbols.
wheres jamaica??
any idea why scotland wasn’t at the opening ceremonies? i’d like to know if anyone has any thoughts……thanks…
The so called “English alphabetical order” is actually LATIN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
actually, english is the third most spoken language, but u have a point. french isnt even in the top ten languages
it was not Chinese alphabetical order because they dont have an alphabet.. it had to do with how many brush strokes it took to write the name of the country in chinese
hey scotland is included in great britain, they only go as scotland at the commonwealth games
To correct roxanne…. It wasn’t alphebetical. The Chinese language has no alphabet. The placement of countries was by how many strokes it takes to write the country’s symbol.
who were the six Chinese athletes who carried the last flag which was the Olympic flag? the three ladies and three men? who was the the lady in front? and what sport?
I’m kinda getting sick of Bob Costas passing judgement on other countries. especially middle eastern ones.
The entrance was determined by the number of strokes of Simplified Chinese Characters of their Chinese names.
For example, France, ?? in Chinese, has 8 strokes in the first character (you need to draw 8 strokes to write ??. Japan, ?? in Chinese, has 4 stokes in the first character. Therefore, Japan would come earlier than France.
If the number of stokes in the first character are identical, they will compare the second charecter.
This is a common way to rank a group of people’s name in China.
In this ceremony, Greece, the origin of the Olympic games, came first. On the other hand, the host of the games, China (although its first character only has 4 strokes), came last.
I REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE I AM A UNITED STATES CITIZEN AND I WOULD LIKE TO HONOR AND THANK LOPEZ LOMONG FOR ENTERING INTO THE STADIUM FOR US!!!
Which country had a flag with different sides?
can someone change the background music forthe olympics on tv please its getting boring having it every year! thanks
i must be proud manny pacquiao was our flag bearer for the philippines..I have seen Kobe has a photo shoot taken with him..
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