Hedaya Malak, Abu Al-Qasim to Officially Carry Egypt's Flag during Tokyo Opening Ceremony

On Monday, the Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) announced that Hedaya Malak, a Taekwondo player, and Alaa Abu Al-Qasim, a member of the men’s foil team squad, are the country's flag-bearers for the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony.

In a statement, Head of EOC Hesham Hattab said: "Seeing two tremendous champions like Malak and Al-Qasim now ready to guide the way into the Opening Ceremony for Egyptian delegation is something incredibly special."

“The Committee wanted to send several messages through this choice and to motivate all our female and male athletes to achieve success and they will be honored including carrying the country’s flag and leading the delegation," Hattab added.

Malak received the bronze medal in Rio 2016 and is tipped for another success in Tokyo. On the other hand, Al-Qasim is the men’s foil team captain and won a silver medal during the London 2012 Games.

Notably, Malak and Al-Qasim mark Egypt's first duo from different sports to earn the honor after the International Olympic Committee amended in March to allow each country to designate one male and one female.