2004 Summer Olympics national flag bearers 2004 Summer Olympics national flag bearers During the Parade of Nations portion of the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, athletes from each country participating in the Olympics paraded in the arena, preceded by their flag. The flag was borne by a sportsperson from that country chosen either by the National Olympic Committee or by the athletes themselves to represent their country. The national team of Greece, as the host nation, entered the stadium last, breaking the tradition that the Greek national team enter first in every Olympic opening ceremony as a tribute for being the original host of both the
Saudi Arabia at the 2012 Summer Olympics athletes had competed in Beijing, including discus thrower Sultan Mubarak Al-Dawoodi, who became the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Saudi Arabia left London with only a bronze medal, won by the equestrian team members Ramzy Al Duhami, Abdullah Al Saud, Kamal Bahamdan, and Abdullah Sharbatly in show jumping. In the previous games, Saudi Arabia had always sent exclusively male teams. Women's participation in sports is greatly restricted within the country, and Saudi Arabia does not permit women to compete in the Olympics. In June 2010, the International Olympic Committee said it would "press" Saudi Arabia (along with Qatar