Thursday, June 14th 2012 - 02:45 UTC

World’s best female field hockey player, Argentine flag bearer at London Games

Luciana Aymar, known as the “Maradona” of female field hockey, will be Argentina's flag bearer at the London 2012 Olympic Games, to begin on July 27.

Luciana Aymar is known as the Maradona of female field hockey

The hockey player, elected seven times as the best player of the world, will be in charge of carrying the flag during the opening ceremony.

“Lucha” Aymar, about to turn 35, was elected on Wednesday by the 21 heads of the teams of the Argentine delegation at the Olympics.

The player will close her successful career at the Olympic Games, where she will fight for the gold along with the Leonas after winning the silver medal once (Sidney 2000) and the bronze twice (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008).

Tennis player Juan Martín Del Potro (ninth-seeded at the ATP world ranking) was left in second place, but will not be able to be the flag bearer during the closing ceremony, so cyclist Walter Pérez (gold medal winner at the Madison race at the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008) will, as he ended at the third place.

Aymar was nominated along with Del Potro, Pérez, basketball player Emanuel Ginóbili (who was the flag bearer at Beijing 2008), and his team-mate Luis Scola.

Meantime the coach of Argentina’s men’s hockey team Pablo Lombi ratified that Fernando Zylberberg, who was involved in a controversial video filmed in the Falkland Islands is not in the list of players that will be competing in the coming London Olympics, from July 27 to August 11.

Zylberberg, a 34-year-old midfielder is a veteran of the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and was in the Argentina side that qualified for London as Pan-American champions last year.

The television ad aired in the run-up to the London Games and featuring Zylberberg shows him running past symbolic landmarks on the Falklands, including exercising on the steps of a war memorial to British seamen from the Battle of the Falklands, ends with the strap line: “To compete on English soil, we are training on Argentine soil.”

The Argentine Olympic Committee (COA) reacted saying “…using the Olympic Games to make political gestures of any kind is not acceptable”.
 

Published in: Politics, Argentina.

21 comments Feed

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1 Truth_Telling_Troll (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 02:48 am Report abuse
Sorry Aymar, but won't be watching. Nor will most of us argies.

We did watch you in the World Cup in Argentina in 2010, great job.

Of course, good luck in the Olympics, but yeah, no one cares about the games in ARG.
2 British_Kirchnerist (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 04:00 am Report abuse
Looks like a good choice of flag bearer - though the stirrer in me would have like to see them appoint Zylderberg! Probably wouldn't have been the best flag bearer all things considered, but I do think they should have let him play, and not punished him for his loyalty to his queen and country
3 brit abroad (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 04:00 am Report abuse
Id be really pissed if I was a bird and was compared to maradona! I mean she looks normal, whereas maradona....EEEEKKKKKK........ he's got to be the missing link between chimps and neanderthals!
4 British_Kirchnerist (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 04:14 am Report abuse
I think Maradonna is a Cristinista; I saw a facebook page once was lobbying for a Cristina-Maradonna 2011 presidential ticket, now that would have been interesting! Maybe he could be the interim president for a bit if the constitution isn't changed and Cristina has to sit out a term =)
5 Boovis (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 07:02 am Report abuse
Ah yes, the hand of God alongside the Devil's arse.
6 Idlehands (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 08:27 am Report abuse
She is pretty good - check her out on Youtube. Seems to run rings round most players.

Shame she plays a sport that few are interested in.
7 DJ56 (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 11:33 am Report abuse
#1

“no one cares about the games in ARG.”

Typical - Arg are actually moderately good at something, but don't care about it.

Or is the disinterest in the Olympics just a childish hissing fit due to the failure of their mens football team (a game which #1 suggests they are interested in) to qualify?
8 Room101 (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 11:51 am Report abuse
Well, good luck to her if sport is her interest and not for political ends; but then, which country isn't at least a bit nationalistic in sport. It is unavoidable if you are cheering your team or individual to win. Let's see some good performances from everyone. Pity some Argentinians aren't interested- only makes things worse for those who want to make good.
We Brits make heroes of our losers; oops! Too late
9 PirateLove (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 12:56 pm Report abuse
Heres to an entertaining olympics , NO sport has a place for politics the world over, any attempt to mix the two will be seen as an appauling act of behaviour by any country, to try and spoil a long running worldwide event will be unacceptable, A tactic Argentina is actively seeking, giving grounds for a suspension from the Olympics for a long period of time by the Olympic commitee.

Desperate people do desperate acts.
10 Conqueror (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 01:25 pm Report abuse
Now here's an interesting question. When the argie contingent parades around the stadium, will the place fill up with spittle and missiles? Or will there be total silence?
11 Idlehands (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 01:27 pm Report abuse
I doubt anyone will notice them among the hubbub
12 ChrisR (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 01:29 pm Report abuse
This woman is an outstanding player and athlete.

To compare her to the despicable Maradonna is idiotic. she has an impecable record unlike the drug taking 'Hand of God' imbecile.
13 Truth_Telling_Troll (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 02:03 pm Report abuse
“Heres to an entertaining olympics , NO sport has a place for politics the world over, ”

Except if you are the UK playing the Apartheid anthem to the women's team from South Africa.

Epic fail... taste to come in the Olympics.
14 Austral (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 02:06 pm Report abuse
And I'm sure she and the team will be treated warmly and with dignity. Nobody will burn the baby blue flag in front of their embassy and each of them will be able to withdraw currency from locals ATMs.
15 reality check (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 02:21 pm Report abuse
@13
Well you will not know if they do will you, because as you frequently like to post, you will not be watching it!
16 PirateLove (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 03:04 pm Report abuse
@13 the wrong anthem played was a genuine mistake was it not?? with a complete apology not by the UK but by the contractor assigned to playing the anthems, however mistake it was, unlike Argentina who staged an olympic propaganada advert on The Falklands by the Argentine government, there is a massive difference between the two incidents, just to clear your half truth up.

G.S.T.Q
17 slattzzz (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 03:19 pm Report abuse
You don't make mistakes do you TTT...........except breathing that is, oxygen thief
18 Idlehands (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 03:37 pm Report abuse
I wonder what Zylderberg will be doing this summer?
19 Richfe (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 03:56 pm Report abuse
Why compare her to Maradona of all people...she doesn't look coked up, I'm sure she isn't wanted for tax evasion anywhere, and she doesn't look as though she's eaten one too many pies (despite the ridiculous/unnecessary efforts of the kit designer to make her look top heavy...). And let's face it she doesn't look daft enough to try and punch the ball into the net (ouch just to think about it) or shoot at journalists.

If you want to compare her to an Argentinian football superstar that everybody respects and without any negative connotations just call her the Messi of field hockey...
20 Truth_Telling_Troll (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 05:40 pm Report abuse
I won't we watching. I can still pore over the news reports if I traipse upon them.
21 scarfo (#) Jun 14th, 2012 - 08:09 pm Report abuse
good choice, she deserves to be the flag bearer

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