Jéré​my Chartier named Canada's flag-bearer for Youth Olympic Games

A proud Jéré​my Chartier, who will lead 72 Canadian athletes into the opening ceremony at the Youth Olympic Games on Saturday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is aware of the "stress and responsibility" of being flag-bearer.

The 17-year-old becomes the second trampolinist to lead Canada into an Olympic competition, following two-time champion Rosie MacLennan at the Summer Games two years ago in Rio.

"It is with a big smile that I will walk with my companions into [Buenos Aires Obelisk stadium] honoured to be behind my flag and proud of our great nation," Chartier said in a prepared statement.

A top junior male athlete in each of the last four years, Chartier won world age group titles in 2015 and 2017 in Denmark and Bulgaria, respectively.

The Montreal native has stood out this season, capturing gold medals at the Canadian trampoline and tumbling championships in July at Lethbridge, Alta., after securing a Youth Olympic Games berth a month earlier at the junior Pan Am championships in Bolivia.

"Jeremy is an incredible young man," said former Canadian track star Bruny Surin, Canada's chef de mission for the Oct. 6-18 Youth Olympic Games. "His passion to promote fair play and equality in sport has turned him into a young role model for the next generation of Canadian athletes."

Chartier, who was hampered by injuries to his right foot and left calf bone last season, was chosen as flag-bearer by a Canadian Olympic Committee comprised of Surin, two representatives from its athletes' commission and Andrew Baker, COC executive director of games and international relations.

Multi-themed Games

CBC Sports will live stream a daily highlight wrap show throughout the Games. 

The third Youth Olympic Games will feature total gender equality with 1,999 male and female athletes aged 15 to 18 from 206 countries competing in 241 events across 32 sports.

"Feel the future" is the slogan for this year's Games, intended to be a catalyst for urban and social development in the city. Besides competing, the athletes will participate in a wide range of cultural and educational activities based around five themes: Olympism, social responsibility, skills development, expression and well-being/healthy lifestyles.

Canada brought home 13 medals (three gold) from Singapore in 2010 and four years later reached the podium eight times in Nanjing, China, but failed to win gold.