THE FLATS – Former Georgia Tech swimmer Andrew Chetcuti and incoming freshman swimmer Berke Saka will serve as the flag-bearers for Malta and Turkey, respectively, during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Friday.
Chetcuti, who was a member of Tech’s swimming and diving team from 2012-15, has received the honor of being Malta’s flag-bearer for the second time. He also served as the Mediterranean country’s flag-bearer during the opening ceremony for the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Chetcuti, who is competing in his third Olympics in the 100-meter freestyle (he made his Olympic debut in 2012 in London), graduated from Tech in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. In addition to his distinguished career in the pool, he is also currently pursuing a doctorate physical therapy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Saka was selected as Turkey’s flag-bearer ahead of competing in his first Olympics in the 200-meter backstroke. The Istanbul product is college swimming’s No. 62-ranked recruit in the Class of 2021, according to collegeswimming.com. In 2019, he medaled twice in the European Youth Olympic Festival, earning silver in the 200 back and bronze in the 200 individual medley. He will enroll at Georgia Tech as a freshman next month.
The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics begins at 6:55 a.m. ET on Friday and will be televised live on NBC. It will also be replayed in primetime on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Chetcuti and Saka are two of nine Yellow Jackets participating in the Tokyo Olympics (seven athletes and two coaches). The list includes two current student-athletes, two incoming freshmen, four former student-athletes and one current Georgia Tech coach.
Athletes
Andrew Chetcuti^ – SWIM – Maltese National Team
Josh Okogie^ – MBB – Nigerian National Team
Caio Pumputis – SWIM – Brazilian National Team
Berke Saka* – SWIM – Turkish National Team
Avi Schafer^ – MBB – Japanese National Team
Defne Taçyildiz* – SWIM – Turkish National Team
Batur Ünlü – SWIM – Turkish National Team
Coaches
Nat Page – TF – U.S. National Team Assistant Coach – Jumps/Combined
Mfon Udofia^ – MBB – Nigerian Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach
* incoming freshman
^ former student-athlete
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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