Agency ReportsEthiopia, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates and a few other countries shunned the International Olympic Committee (IOC) directive on gender flag bearers at Tokyo Olympics. They all stood out at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games on Friday for having only either a man or a female flag bearer. This was in spite of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) plea to have both. In February, the IOC issued a statement asking participating countries to select both male and female flag bearers where possible for the first time ever. Other countries that only had a male flag bearer, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), had a male-only delegation.

Source: Ethiopian News July 23, 2021 16:44 UTC