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Thomas Weikert (M) talks to ice hockey player Leon Draisaitl. Ski jumper Schmid, and Draisaitl will carry the German flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Italy. Peter Kneffel/dpa
NHL star Leon Draisaitl deserves to be Germany’s flag bearer at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday despite never having appeared at a previous Games, Germany's Olympic chief says.
An online vote among fans was combined with the wishes of German team members when choosing the flag bearers for the start of the Milan/Cortina Games at the San Siro stadium.
The ice hockey icon, who plays for the Edmonton Oilers, received more than 51% of the votes from sports fans who were asked to pick a male flag bearer and just under 41% from the German Olympic team.
German Olympic Sports Confederation president Thomas Weikert told a news conference on Thursday that Draisaitl was the right choice despite criticism in the media that Olympic champions Tobias Wendl (luge) and Johannes Rydzek (Nordic combined) were overlooked.
"The public saw it that way, the athletes saw it that way," Weikert said.
"Of course it is an honour if you have been around for a long time. But it is also an honour if you are a superstar in the United States who half the world watches, and it is an honour when such a superstar carries the flag in our team."
Draisaitl was unable to take part in the Olympics in 2018 in Pyeongchang or in 2022 in Beijing because the NHL did not release its players for the tournaments in Asia.
"This really means an incredible amount to me. I feel very honoured," the 30-year-old said.
Ski jumper Katharina Schmid will be the German flag bearer at a simultaneous ceremony for ski events in the mountains.
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