London 2012 Paralympic Games : Scott Danberg selected as U.S. flag bearer

LONDON – Five-time U.S. Paralympian Scott Danberg was selected to lead the 227-member 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team into Wednesday’s (Aug. 29) Opening Ceremony as flag bearer, as announced today by the United States Olympic Committee. Danberg was chosen by a vote of fellow members of Team USA following the team’s “Welcome Ceremony” on Monday in the Paralympic Village.

Press Release Aug. 28, 2012

“I am absolutely honored and pleased. This is my fifth Paralympic Games,” Danberg (Cooper City, Fla.) said. “For four Games, I have walked behind our nation’s flag proudly and now I am so honored to carry it into the stadium. I was so pleased to be nominated by the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team. They were so excited for me to be selected. The confidence my team captain had and his approach, they all really wanted me to be selected, and now to have that confidence shown to me by the whole U.S. team is amazing.”

Danberg will compete in the F40 men’s discus on Sept. 4. Currently ranked No. 7 in the world by the International Paralympic Committee, he won the bronze medal in the discus competition at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships. He also won the shot put silver at the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships and won the shot put at the 2007 Parapan American Games.

“Congratulations to Scott Danberg on being named the United States flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “The London 2012 Paralympic Games have special significance as the Paralympic Movement started here in 1948. As the Games return to its birth place, we celebrate the growth of the movement and the extraordinary Americans who represent our country in this event. It is a tremendous honor to have Scott lead Team USA into this celebration of humanity.”
Danberg made his Paralympic Games debut in powerlifting at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games. In 1998, he won the silver medal in the javelin. He competed in the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games as well as the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

The 2012 Paralympic Games will take place in London, England, from Aug. 29-Sept. 9, featuring more than 4,000 athletes with a disability, from more than 160 countries. It is slated to be the largest Paralympic Games in history.

More than 500 hours of live streaming will be available through USParalympics.org. Beginning on Aug. 29 and continuing through the conclusion of the Games on Sept. 9, U.S. Paralympics will also provide 10 daily video highlights packages via its U.S. Paralympics YouTube channel. The videos will chronicle the competition, athlete stories and will also include the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

In addition to the online content, NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) will air one-hour highlight shows on Sept. 4, 5, 6 and 11 at 7 p.m. EDT. Following the Paralympic Games, NBC will broadcast a 90 minute special from 2-3:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 16. All NBC and NBC Sports Network Paralympic highlight shows and specials will re-air on Universal Sports Network and UniversalSports.com.

For more information, please contact Jamie Blanchard, U.S. Paralympics, at jamie.blanchard@usoc.org.

U.S. Olympic Committee, Paralympic Division
1 Olympic Plaza | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
paralympicinfo@usoc.org | www.usparalympics.org