Basketball star Yao Ming to carry flag in Beijing

NBA basketball player Yao Ming has been given the honour of being the carrier of the Chinese flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing on Friday.

Yao, who is 7ft 6in (2.26 metre) in height, making him the tallest basketball player in the NBA, plays as a centre for the Houston Rockets. He is one of the most famous Chinese sportsmen in the world and naturally a very popular celebrity for his country.

Cui Dalin, the deputy chief of China's Olympic team is reported to have said: "After serious consideration, we have decided that Yao Ming will be the flag bearer."

And it was Yao who was also selected to be the flag-bearer for China at the start of the 2004 Athens Games as well.

World tennis number one Roger Federer is celebrating his 27th birthday by carrying the flag for Switzerland at the Beijing Olympics.

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Last Updated ( Monday, 11 August 2008 )

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