PARIS - With three Paralympic gold medals and a slew of Paralympic Games experience between them, four-time Paralympian Steve Serio and 2016 Paralympic champion Nicky Nieves were selected to lead Team USA into the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 as Opening Ceremony flag bearers the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced.

The Opening Ceremony will be held across Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elyssés on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET).

Nieves and Serio were chosen by a vote of fellow Team USA athletes through a process led by the Team USA Athletes’ Commission, which serves as the representative group and voice of Team USA Athletes. They are the second duo to share the honor of leading the delegation into the Opening Ceremony, which serves as the official start to the Paralympic Games. Of the 225 athletes and guides who were named to the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team, more than 140 are set to participate in Wednesday's Opening Ceremony.

A legend in wheelchair basketball, Serio has been a cornerstone of the U.S. team for nearly two decades, leading Team USA to three straight podium finishes and back-to-back titles at the Paralympic Games in 2016 and 2020. For the second straight Paralympic Games, Serio remains a leading voice on the men’s team serving as the co-captain in Paris alongside teammate Trevon Jenifer. With five world championship medals to his name, he now adds another accolade to his illustrious career, carrying the U.S. flag into the Opening Ceremony.

“I’m overwhelmed and honored,” said Serio. “I never thought this would be something that I’d get to experience in my career. I want to say thank you to all the Team USA athletes – I’ll represent you to the best of my ability and I love you all. The Paralympic Movement has meant everything to me, to be a Team USA athlete and Paralympian is one of the greatest honors that I’ve ever had. Hopefully I’ll make my country proud, and I can’t wait to represent you all at the front of the pack at the Opening Ceremony.”

A trailblazer in her own right, Nieves was pivotal in helping Team USA secure its first Paralympic gold medal in sitting volleyball at the Rio Games in 2016. She was unable to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Games due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and returns to the Paralympic stage seeking redemption alongside her teammates who come to Paris seeking to make history with a third consecutive gold medal.

In addition to her excellence on the field of play, Nieves has been vocal about the importance of mental health and disability advocacy. Established in 2018, Nieves founded the Limitless People organization with the mission of removing barriers to allow everyone the opportunity to learn and play the sport of volleyball, both sitting and standing. She is also finishing her master’s degree in clinical mental health and a member of the USA Volleyball board of directors as the women’s sitting volleyball representative.

"Being the flag bearer for Team USA means that all of my hard work was not in vain,” said Nieves. “I get to represent the country that made me who I am, with the best-of-the-best U.S. athletes by my side. Thank you to my incredible team for nominating me for this honor and thank you to all the Team USA athletes."

“We nominated Nicky because she’s spent countless hours on boards, in training, and working to improve Paralympic sport for the next generation of athletes,” said nominating teammate Katie Holloway-Bridge. “Nicky’s energy is electric on the court, but her impact reaches so far beyond that. Her work as an advocate has advanced not only the sport of sitting volleyball, but the entire Paralympic Movement.”

Nieves and Serio will start their Paris 2024 competition quickly with men’s wheelchair basketball preliminary rounds beginning on Aug. 29 when the U.S. plays Spain, while the women’s sitting volleyball team begins a day later against the People’s Republic of China.

NBCU’s Paralympic Games coverage, presented by Toyota, will include the most streaming hours ever for a Paralympic event, with approximately 1,500 hours of live coverage across all 22 Paralympic sports set to be streamed on Peacock throughout the duration of the 12-day event. Gold Zone and Multiview – two of the most raved-about features of Peacock’s coverage of the Paris Olympic Games -- will make their Paralympic Games debut when competition coverage begins Aug. 29. Additionally, more than 140 hours of Paris Paralympic television coverage across NBC, USA Network, and CNBC will be presented. NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app will provide streaming coverage via authentication. For more information on NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Paralympics, including programming and commentators, click here.

Follow Team USA in Paris

Team USA fans can follow the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team at TeamUSA.com and across Team USA’s social channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. The U.S. Paralympic Team microsite will offer Team USA results from the Paralympic Games, as well as athlete biographies, sport storylines and more.

The USOPC has launched its Team USA Paris 2024 media hub, where media can find qualified Paris 2024 athletes, sport previews, National Governing Body press officer contact information and more. The USOPC will continue to add on-the-ground information, including details on breaking news, high-demand ticketing and more to this website.

Recent U.S. Paralympic Team Flag Bearers – Opening Ceremony (summer only)

2000 - Mike Dempsey (Para table tennis)

2004 - Kevin Szott (Para judo)

2008 - Jennifer Armbruster (goalball)

2012 - Scott Danberg (powerlifting, Para swimming, Para track and field)

2016 - Allison Jones (Para-cycling)

2020 - Chuck Aoki (wheelchair rugby), Melissa Stockwell (paratriathlon)

2024 – Steve Serio (wheelchair basketball), Nicky Nieves (sitting volleyball)

Paralympians Steve Serio, Nicky Nieves selected as Team USA’s Opening Ceremony Flag Bearers for Paris 2024

Loading...