“This time around”, Phelps said, “it’s about so much more than medals”.
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The opening ceremonies are Friday.
Phelps will be the bearer of the US flag during the Friday night ceremony at Maracana Stadium, selected in a vote by all members of the American Olympic team.
Phelps will be only the second swimmer to lead the USA delegation in the opening ceremony.
Phelps, who won eight of his golds in Beijing in 2008, is set to add to his haul in Rio with three individual events as well as relays.
It will be his fifth Olympics since making his debut at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. Phelps officially retired after competing in London, but in 2014 he announced he would return to the sport he’s dominated for almost two decades.
While more than half his life has been spent as an Olympian, the 31-year-old Phelps said he can still remember watching coverage of the opening ceremony as a child. Militarized police presence and violence are only some of the issues that have affected the Afro-Brazilian population living in Rio since the possibility of sports mega events such as the World Cup in 2014, and now the Olympic Games, became a reality in Brazil. After taking a yearlong break, he rediscovered his love of training and competing, sparking a desire to close his career the right way.
The United States Olympic Committee announced the decision Wednesday morning following a vote by all Team USA members.
“Coming back and being able to have the opportunity to finish how I want”, Phelps said.
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After a 20,000-km (12,400-mile) journey through the vast nation, the torch crossed Guanabara Bay in a sailboat piloted by former medalists, in a nod to one of the competitions where the host country has claimed Olympic glory.
