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KATE HOWEY FACTFILE
1973: Born, May 31.
1992: Bronze medal, Barcelona Olympics
1993: Silver medal at World Champs, bronze at European
Champs
1994: Bronze Euro Champs
1995: Bronze Euro Champs
1997: MBE for services to judo
Crowned world champion, Bronze Euro Champs.
1999: Bronze World
Champs
2000: Silver medal, Sydney Olympics
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Judo player Kate Howey has been named as Great Britain's flag bearer for Friday's Olympics opening ceremony.
The 31-year-old, who won silver at Sydney 2000 and bronze at Barcelona 1992, will lead the British team and officials into the Olympic Stadium.
Britain will be the 110th team to enter the arena during the ceremony which
begins at 1845 BST.
Prime Minister Tony Blair will be among the estimated 72,000 spectators expected to be at the Athens venue.
Howey follows in the illustrious footsteps of triple-gold medal rower Matthew Pinsent who carried the flag in Sydney in 2000.
She is the first woman to be given the role since three-day eventer Lucinda Prior-Palmer, who shared the honour with Sebastian Coe in Los Angeles in 1984.
"I can't believe it, I'm still shaking," said Howey,
"But it's nice to get a bit of recognition for the sport of judo which
doesn't always get a lot of headlines. I'm even more pleased for the sport than
for myself."
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I never dreamed I would get chosen
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Each athlete has one vote for the flag-bearing role after each individual sport has nominated one candidate.
Howey travelled early from Britain's training camp in Cyprus to receive the accolade at a team reception at the British Embassy in front of Princess Anne, Tessa Jowell, secretary for culture, media and sport and sports minister Richard Caborn.
The order in which teams will be paraded at the opening ceremony will be determined by the local language and Greek alphabet.
Ireland are due to be 63rd into the stadium, after Iran and before Equatorial Guinea.
The Caribbean island state of Saint Lucia - or Agia Loukia in Greek - will lead out the countries, whereas Chile (Xile) will be one of the last.
In customary tradition, the hosts, Greece, will bring up the tail of the parade.
MMX
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