Goggia, Moioli to carry Italy’s flag at Olympic ceremonies

ROME (AP) — Defending Alpine skiing downhill gold medalist Sofia Goggia has been named as Italy’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malagò also announced that snowboard cross gold medalist Michela Moioli will carry the country’s flag at the closing ceremony for the Feb. 4-20 Winter Games. Both Goggia and Moioli come from the Bergamo area that was one of the hardest-hit areas by the coronavirus. Goggia became the first Italian woman to win an Olympic downhill when she beat Ragnhild Mowinckel and Lindsey Vonn at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Moioli claimed Italy’s first-ever gold in snowboarding in 2018.