CONTROVERSY/ Luiza Gega about the red and black flag that appeared in Paris 2024: It was the Chinese imitation, I would not agree to keep it

Luiza Gega was not at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Paris 2024.

"It was my decision, I have been to the Olympic Games twice, in Rio and in Tokyo, where I was also the flag bearer. I saw it on TV, it's better to see it on TV, believe me. It's tiring for me to stay too long, so I decided not to go so early, because I have the race on the 4th of August, so I had to go 2 weeks before and it would be tiring. At least from my experience. I leave on the 29th, today I came down from Korça, where I have been training for about 1 month. So I'm leaving the day after tomorrow for Paris", Luiza Gega told Klan News.

The European champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase race criticized the flag that was carried by the Albanian team at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Friday evening in the French capital.

Gega said that the flag was a Chinese imitation and if she had been the flag bearer, she would not have agreed to parade with that flag.

"What I didn't like is that I noticed that our flag was not right, the eagle was not the real eagle, so it was the Chinese imitation and I didn't like that, because I think I would have never accepted it anyway. We must be very careful when it comes to the flag, because this is the reason why we go there, to present the nationality we come from, the colors of the flag, etc. If I had been the flag bearer, I would never have accepted to parade with a flag that is not the right one ", said Luiza Gega.