The German sports public and the participating athletes have voted: Leon Draisaitl will lead Team Germany as flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.
In addition to the NHL striker from the Edmonton Oilers, Katharina Schmid was selected as a flag bearer. The opening ceremony will take place on Friday, February 6, 2026, from 7:30 p.m. at all Olympic venues. Leon Draisaitl will arrive with the German team at the glorious San Siro Stadium in Milan, while Katharina Schmid will take on this special task in Predazzo.
Leon Draisaitl is the second German ice hockey player to be allowed to carry the German flag at an official Olympic ceremony. In 2018, Christian Ehrhoff led the German delegation at the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics after the ice hockey team won the silver medal.
Christian Künast, DEB Sports Director: “We are extremely happy for Leon. The election is a great confirmation of the achievements and milestones of his successful professional career to date. It is an extraordinary honor for every athlete to lead the German team as flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Of course, this election is also a big stage for our ice hockey sport and increases the anticipation among our entire team in Milan for the start of the Winter Olympics.”
About Leon Draisaitl
In his career to date, Leon Draisaitl has already received the NHL’s most valuable player award (MVP, Hart Memorial Trophy) and best player award (Ted Lindsay Award), as well as the league’s best scorer (Art Ross Trophy) and top goal scorer (Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy) trophies. He was also voted Athlete of the Year in Germany in 2020. Last December he became the first German to reach 1,000 points in the NHL.
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