The 31-year-old joined his US teammates in their first training session at the Olympic Aquatics Centre on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after arriving in the city for the August 5-21 Games.
Advertisement
Phelps is the second swimmer to lead the US delegation into the opening ceremony and the fifth swimmer to be the flag bearer for Team USA at the Olympic Games.
National Basketball Association player Andrew Bogut, who’s in Rio to play for his native Australia, tweeted a photo of himself “putting together a shower curtain so we can shower and not flood the place”.
The choice was made by a vote of team members.
The opening ceremonies are Friday but Canada starts competing Wednesday when the women’s soccer team faces Australia in a preliminary-round match. “For Athens, I wanted to win gold for my country”, Phelps said.
“I remember when I was in Beijing (in 2008), the whole atmosphere surrounding an Olympics is different because you’re around loads of the best athletes in the world”.
At the last three Olympics, Phelps skipped the ceremony to rest up for his first event, the 400-meter individual medley, which was held the next day.
Adjusting quickly to the Olympic atmosphere and its unfamiliar environment will be key for Andy Murray as he bids to defend the title he won in London four years ago, the world number two has said.
Phelps conceded he wasn’t at his best for the London Games and didn’t really want to be there.
Then there’s his personal life, which has included a series of missteps including a second drunken-driving arrest in 2014.
Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, is set to add a unique honor to his glittering resume: flag bearer.
Advertisement
Phelps and his fiancee, Nicole Johnson, welcomed a son, Boomer, in May.
