As the 2024 Paris Olympics begin, springboard diver Alejandra Orozco and modern pentathlon athlete Emiliano Hernánez are representing Mexico as flag bearers in the Parade of Nations, part of the Olympic opening ceremony.
On Monday, Mexican actress Salma Hayek was one of the celebrities who carried the torch.
Desde las aguas del río Sena se escucha el ¡Cielito lindo!
Así la delegación mexicana a momentos de su entrada oficial en la inauguración de #París2024
Vía CONADEpic.twitter.com/AEwtcwxE4a— Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) July 26, 2024
A video of the Mexican delegation in Paris on Friday.
The inaugural event takes place Friday on the Seine River, where each country’s delegation is participating in the floating parade. It’s the first time in history that an Olympics opening ceremony will happen in a venue other than a stadium.
Who are the Mexican flag bearers?
Alejandra Orozco, 27, is a two-time Olympic-medal winner originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco.
At 14, she volunteered at the Pan American Games in her hometown and witnessed Olympic divers like Mexican Paola Espinosa compete for a medal. “It felt like an injection of fuel [seeing her] and thinking that one day, that could be me,” she told Olympics.com.
One year later, Orozco earned her first Olympic silver medal at the London 2012 Games in the synchronized 10-meter platform event, diving alongside Paola Espinosa. While she wasn’t able to get to the podium in Rio 2016, she managed to win a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, competing in the synchronized dive with her new partner, Gaby Agúndez.
Orozco is also a double medalist in both the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games, including a gold at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing.
“For me it is an honor to carry the flag, and to represent the Mexican delegation. I know that we will be one that night,” Orozco said after being appointed flag bearer.
In Paris, Orozco will compete in both synchronized and individual springboard dives.
Pentathlete Emiliano Hernández, another Mexican flag bearer
Meanwhile, the second flag bearer, Emiliano Hernández, originally hails from the state of México. Hernández, 26, is making his Olympic debut this year in modern pentathlon, a discipline that combines running, archery, swimming, horse riding and fencing.
In 2023, he won a silver medal in the World Championship in Great Britain and two titles as champion of the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.
In an emotional message on Instagram, Emiliano shared how he felt about being a flag bearer in a letter addressing the tricolor banner.
“Since I was a little boy I used to see you in elementary school, and I cry when I see you at soccer games. Even more, I get excited when in my competitions I hear our anthem and I see you in the skies, despite being on the other side of the world. I want to tell you that we will go all out in Paris,” he said.
Where to watch the Olympics in Mexico
In Mexico, Channel 5 and Channel 9 of Televisa will broadcast the Games.
On pay-per-view television, TUDN and Claro Sports will broadcast the events. Claro Sports can be accessed via the streaming apps Claro Video, Prime Video and Samsung.
Other streaming apps broadcasting the opening ceremony include Vix, HBO Max and the Paris 2024 app.
With reports from El Economista, El Economista, and Centro Caribe Sports
