# 2008 Summer Paralympics national flag bearers

During the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, athletes from each participating country paraded in the stadium, preceded by their flag. The flag was borne by a sportsperson from that country chosen either by the National Paralympic Committee or by the athletes themselves to represent their country. It is considered a great honour to bear the country's flag in the Parade of Nations.

## Parade order

Per tradition, the host country, in this case the People's Republic of China, marched last however contrary to tradition in the Olympic Games the national team of Greece did not enter first. All other nations marched in name order in the language of the host nation, which in this case is the Chinese language. As Chinese is written in characters and not letters, the order of the teams' entry was determined by the number of strokes in the first character of their respective countries' Simplified Chinese names. Countries with the same number of strokes in the first character are sorted by those of the next character. This made Guinea (几内亚) the first country to enter, as it takes two strokes to write the first character in the country's name (几), and Zambia (赞比亚) last-but-one, ahead of China.

## List

The following is a list of each country's flag bearer.
| Order | Nation | Chinese name | Pinyin | Flag bearer | Sport |
| 1 | Guinea (GUI) | 几内亚 | Jīnèiyà | Ahmed Barry | Athletics |
| 2 | Turkey (TUR) | 土耳其 | Tǔěrqí | Korhan Yamac | Shooting |
| 3 | Turkmenistan (TKM) | 土库曼斯坦 | Tǔkùmànsītǎn | Ovezgeldy Ordjiyev | Powerlifting |
| 4 | Malta (MLT) | 马耳他 | Mǎěrtā | Atonio Flores | Athletics |
| 5 | Madagascar (MAD) | 马达加斯加 | Mǎdájiāsījiā | Josefa Harijaona Randrianony | Swimming |
| 6 | Malaysia (MAS) | 马来西亚 | Mǎláixīyà | Mariappan Perumal | Powerlifting |
| 7 | Mali (MLI) | 马里 | Mǎlǐ | Sissoko Facourou | Powerlifting |
| 8 | Macedonia (MKD) | 前南斯拉夫马其顿共和国 | Qián Nánsīlāfū Mǎqídùn Gònghéguó | Vanco Karanfilov | Shooting |
| 9 | Ecuador (ECU) | 厄瓜多尔 | Èguāduōěr | Jose Marino | Powerlifting |
| 10 | Jamaica (JAM) | 牙买加 | Yámǎijiā | Tanto Campbell | Athletics |
| 11 | Belgium (BEL) | 比利时 | Bǐlìshí | Nico Vergeylen | Table tennis |
| 12 | Vanuatu (VAN) | 瓦努阿图 | Wǎnǔātú | Tom Tete | Powerlifting |
| 13 | Israel (ISR) | 以色列 | Yǐsèliè | Yizhar Cohen | Swimming |
| 14 | Japan (JPN) | 日本 | Rìběn | Toru Suzuki | Athletics |
| 15 | Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 中华台北 | Zhōnghuá Táiběi | Hou Ting-Sung | Table tennis |
| 16 | Central African Republic (CAF) | 中非 | Zhōngfēi | Rosel-Clemariot-Christian Nikona | Athletics |
| 17 | Hong Kong (HKG) | 中国香港 | Zhōngguó Xiānggǎng | So Wa Wai | Athletics |
| 18 | Macau (MAC) | 中国澳门 | Zhōngguó Àomén | Kuong Sio Ieng | Athletics |
| 19 | Benin (BEN) | 贝宁 | Bèiníng | Blandine Sahenou | Powerlifting |
| 20 | Mauritius (MRI) | 毛里求斯 | Máolǐqiúsī | Richard Souci | Athletics |
| 21 | Denmark (DEN) | 丹麦 | Dānmài | Jackie Christiansen | Athletics |
| 22 | Uganda (UGA) | 乌干达 | Wūgāndá | Billy Ssengendo | Powerlifting |
| 23 | Ukraine (UKR) | 乌克兰 | Wūkèlán | Andrii Komar | Wheelchair fencing |
| 24 | Uruguay (URU) | 乌拉圭 | Wūlāguī | Henry Borges | Judo |
| 25 | Uzbekistan (UZB) | 乌兹别克斯坦 | Wūzībiékèsītǎn | Ravil Diganshin | Athletics / Powerlifting |
| 26 | Barbados (BAR) | 巴巴多斯 | Bābāduōsī | David Taylor | Swimming |
| 27 | Papua New Guinea (PNG) | 巴布亚新几内亚 | Bābùyà Xīn Jǐnèiyà | Francis Kompaon | Athletics |
| 28 | Brazil (BRA) | 巴西 | Bāxī | Antonio Tenorio Silva | Judo |
| 29 | Bahrain (BRN) | 巴林 | Bālín | Ahmed Meshaimaa | Athletics |
| 30 | Panama (PAN) | 巴拿马 | Bānámǎ | Said Gomez | Athletics |
| 31 | Pakistan (PAK) | 巴基斯坦 | Bājīsītǎn | Haider Ali | Athletics |
| 32 | Palestine (PLE) | 巴勒斯坦 | Bālèsītǎn | Husam Azzam | Athletics |
| 33 | Cuba (CUB) | 古巴 | Gǔbā | Yunidis Castillo | Athletics |
| 34 | Burkina Faso (BUR) | 布基纳法索 | Bùjīnà Fǎsuǒ | Lassane Gasbeogo | Cycling |
| 35 | Burundi (BDI) | 布隆迪 | Bùlóngdí | Remy Nikobimeze | Athletics |
| 36 | East Timor (TLS) | 东帝汶 | Dōngdìwèn | Liliana da Costa Silva | Powerlifting |
| 37 | Qatar (QAT) | 卡塔尔 | Kǎtǎěr | Ali Abdulla Mohamed | Powerlifting |
| 38 | Rwanda (RWA) | 卢旺达 | Lúwàngdá | Jean de Dieu Nkundabera | Athletics |
| 39 | Luxembourg (LUX) | 卢森堡 | Lúsēnbǎo | Peter Lorkowski | Cycling |
| 40 | Belarus (BLR) | 白俄罗斯 | Báiéluósī | Ihar Fartunau | Athletics |
| 41 | India (IND) | 印度 | Yìndù | Rajinder Singh Rahelu | Powerlifting |
| 42 | Indonesia (INA) | 印度尼西亚 | Yìndùníxīyà | Billy Zeth Makal | Powerlifting |
| 43 | Lithuania (LTU) | 立陶宛 | Lìtáowǎn | Rolandas Urbonas | Athletics |
| 44 | Niger (NIG) | 尼日尔 | Nírìěr | Zakari Amadou | Powerlifting |
| 45 | Nigeria (NGR) | 尼日利亚 | Nírìlìyà | Adekunle Adesoji | Athletics |
| 46 | Nepal (NEP) | 尼泊尔 | Níbóěr | Jit Bahadur Khadka | Athletics |
| 47 | Ghana (GHA) | 加纳 | Jiānà | Nkegbe Botsyo | Athletics |
| 48 | Canada (CAN) | 加拿大 | Jiānádà | Donovan Tildesley | Swimming |
| 49 | Gabon (GAB) | 加蓬 | Jiāpéng | Thierry Mabicka | Athletics |
| 50 | Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) | 吉尔吉斯斯坦 | Jíěrjísīsītǎn | Roman Omurbekov | Powerlifting |
| 51 | Laos (LAO) | 老挝 | Lǎowō | Eay Simay | Powerlifting |
| 52 | Armenia (ARM) | 亚美尼亚 | Yàměiníyà | Greta Khndzrtsyan | Powerlifting |
| 53 | Spain (ESP) | 西班牙 | Xībānyá | David Casinos | Athletics |
| 54 | Bermuda (BER) | 百慕大 | Bǎimùdà | Jennifer Southern | Secretary General |
| 55 | Iraq (IRQ) | 伊拉克 | Yīlākè | Faris Al-Ajeeli | Powerlifting |
| 56 | Iran (IRI) | 伊朗 | Yīlǎng | Mohammad Reza Mirzaei | Athletics |
| 57 | Guatemala (GUA) | 危地马拉 | Wēidìmǎlā | Cesar Arturo Lopez Ivajera | Athletics |
| 58 | Hungary (HUN) | 匈牙利 | Xiōngyálì | Judit Horvathne Palfi | Wheelchair fencing |
| 59 | Dominican Republic (DOM) | 多米尼加共和国 | Duōmǐníjiā Gònghéguó | Alfonso Olibero Encarnacion | Athletics |
| 60 | Iceland (ISL) | 冰岛 | Bīngdǎo | Jon Oddur Haldorsson | Athletics |
| 61 | Angola (ANG) | 安哥拉 | Āngēlā | Jose Armando | Athletics |
| 62 | Tonga (TGA) | 汤加 | Tāngjiā | Mounga Okusitino | Athletics |
| 63 | Jordan (JOR) | 约旦 | Yuēdàn | Jamil Elshebli | Athletics |
| 64 | Finland (FIN) | 芬兰 | Fēnlán | Minna Leinonen | Shooting |
| 65 | Croatia (CRO) | 克罗地亚 | Kèluódìyà | Marija Ivekovic | Athletics |
| 66 | Suriname (SUR) | 苏里南 | Sūlǐnán | Biondi Misasi | Athletics |
| 67 | Libya (LBA) | 利比亚 | Lìbǐyǎ | Sahar Mostafa M El Gnemi | Powerlifting |
| 68 | Cape Verde (CPV) | 佛得角 | Fódéjiǎo | Artimeza Helena Sequiera | Athletics |
| 69 | Greece (GRE) | 希腊 | Xīlà | Charalampos Taiganidis | Swimming |
| 70 | Saudi Arabia (KSA) | 沙特 | Shātè | Osamah Alshanqiti | Athletics |
| 71 | Algeria (ALG) | 阿尔及利亚 | Āěrjílìyà | Mohamed Allek | Athletics |
| 72 | United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 阿联酋 | Āliánqiú | Abdullah al Aryani | Shooting |
| 73 | Argentina (ARG) | 阿根廷 | Āgēntíng | Silvio Velo | Football 5-A-Side |
| 74 | Oman (OMA) | 阿曼 | Āmàn | Badar al-Harthi | Powerlifting |
| 75 | Afghanistan (AFG) | 阿富汗 | Āfùhàn | Mohammad Fahim Rahimi | Powerlifting |
| 76 | Azerbaijan (AZE) | 阿塞拜疆 | Āsāibàijiān | Ilham Zakiyev | Judo |
| 77 | Namibia (NAM) | 纳米比亚 | Nàmǐbǐyà | Reginald Benade | Athletics |
| 78 | Tanzania (TAN) | 坦桑尼亚 | Tǎnsāngníyà | Ernest Nyabalale | Athletics |
| 79 | Latvia (LAT) | 拉脱维亚 | Lātuōwéiyà | Edgars Bergs | Athletics |
| 80 | Great Britain (GBR) | 英国 | Yīngguó | Danny Crates | Athletics |
| 81 | Kenya (KEN) | 肯尼亚 | Kěnníyà | Henry Wanyioke | Athletics |
| 82 | Romania (ROU) | 罗马尼亚 | Luōmǎníyà | Eduard Novak | Cycling |
| 83 | Venezuela (VEN) | 委内瑞拉 | Wěinèiruìlā | Reinaldo Carvallo | Judo |
| 84 | France (FRA) | 法国 | Fǎguó | Assia El Hannouni | Athletics |
| 85 | Faroe Islands (FRO) | 法罗群岛 | Fǎluó Qúndǎo | Heidi Andreasen | Swimming |
| 86 | Poland (POL) | 波兰 | Bōlán | Krzysztof Smorszczewski | Athletics |
| 87 | Puerto Rico (PUR) | 波多黎各 | Bōduō Lígè | Nilda Gomez Lopez | Shooting |
| 88 | Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) | 波黑 | Bōhēi | Sabahudin Delalić | Sitting volleyball |
| 89 | Bangladesh (BAN) | 孟加拉国 | Mèngjiālāguó | Abdul Quader Sumon | Athletics |
| 90 | Norway (NOR) | 挪威 | Nuówēi | Cecilie Drabsch-Norland | Swimming |
| 91 | South Africa (RSA) | 南非 | Nánfēi | Natalie du Toit | Swimming |
| 92 | Cambodia (CAM) | 柬埔寨 | Jiǎnpǔzhài | Vanna Kim | Athletics |
| 93 | Kazakhstan (KAZ) | 哈萨克斯坦 | Hāsàkèsītǎn | Liazat Salimzenova | Powerlifting |
| 94 | Kuwait (KUW) | 科威特 | Kēwēitè | Hamad Aladwani | Athletics |
| 95 | Ivory Coast (CIV) | 科特迪瓦 | Kētè Díwǎ | Oumar Basakoulba Kone | Athletics |
| 96 | Bulgaria (BUL) | 保加利亚 | Bǎojiālìyà | Stela Eneva | Athletics |
| 97 | Russia (RUS) | 俄罗斯 | Éluósī | Alexey Ashapatov | Athletics |
| 98 | Syria (SYR) | 叙利亚 | Xùlìyà | Rasha Alshikh | Powerlifting |
| 99 | United States (USA) | 美国 | Měiguó | Jennifer Armbruster | Goalball |
| 100 | Honduras (HON) | 洪都拉斯 | Hóngdūlāsī | Luis Carlos Hernandez Oliva | Athletics |
| 101 | Zimbabwe (ZIM) | 津巴布韦 | Jīnbābùwéi | Elliot Mujaji | Athletics |
| 102 | Tunisia (TUN) | 突尼斯 | Tūnísī | Ahmed Benhaj Ali | Athletics |
| 103 | Thailand (THA) | 泰国 | Tàiguó | Supachai Koysub | Athletics |
| 104 | Egypt (EGY) | 埃及 | Aījí | Metwaly Ibrahim Mathna | Powerlifting |
| 105 | Ethiopia (ETH) | 埃塞俄比亚 | Aīsāiébǐyà | Tesfalem Gebru | Athletics |
| 106 | Lesotho (LES) | 莱索托 | Láisuǒtuō | Thato Mohasoa | Athletics |
| 107 | Netherlands (NED) | 荷兰 | Hélán | Esther Vergeer | Wheelchair tennis |
| 108 | Georgia (GEO) | 格鲁吉亚 | Gélǔjíyà | Yago Gorgadze | Powerlifting |
| 109 | Colombia (COL) | 哥伦比亚 | Gēlúnbǐyà | Moises Fuentes | Swimming |
| 110 | Costa Rica (CRC) | 哥斯达黎加 | Gēsīdá Líjiā | Giovanny Rodriguez | Table tennis |
| 111 | Peru (PER) | 秘鲁 | Bìlǔ | Jose Gonzales-Mugaburu | Swimming |
| 112 | Ireland (IRL) | 爱尔兰 | Aìěrlán | Patrice Dockery | Athletics |
| 113 | Estonia (EST) | 爱沙尼亚 | Aìshāníyà | Kristo Ringas | Swimming |
| 114 | Haiti (HAI) | 海地 | Hǎidì | Nephtalie Jean Louis | Powerlifting |
| 115 | Czech Republic (CZE) | 捷克 | Jiékè | Marketa Sidkova | Archery |
| 116 | Philippines (PHI) | 菲律宾 | Fēilǜbīn | Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta | Powerlifting |
| 117 | El Salvador (ESA) | 萨尔瓦多 | Sàěrwǎduō | Zulma Cruz | Athletics |
| 118 | Samoa (SAM) | 萨摩亚 | Sàmóyà | Mose Faatamala | Athletics |
| 119 | Tajikistan (TJK) | 塔吉克斯坦 | Tǎjíkèsītǎn | Khayrullo Abdurahimov | Powerlifting |
| 120 | Vietnam (VIE) | 越南 | Yuènán | Nguyen Quang Vuong | Swimming |
| 121 | Sri Lanka (SRI) | 斯里兰卡 | Sīlǐ Lánkǎ | Sandun Wasana Perera | Powerlifting |
| 122 | Slovenia (SLO) | 斯洛文尼亚 | Sīluòwénníyà | Franc Pinter | Shooting |
| 123 | Slovakia (SVK) | 斯洛伐克 | Sīluòfákè | Ladislav Gaspar | Table tennis |
| 124 | Portugal (POR) | 葡萄牙 | Pútáoyá | Filomena Franco | Rowing |
| 125 | South Korea (KOR) | 韩国 | Hánguó | Park Jong-Chul | Powerlifting |
| 126 | Fiji (FIJ) | 斐济 | Fěijì | Ranjesh Prakash | Athletics |
| 127 | Montenegro (MNE) | 黑山 | Hēishān | Dusan Dragovic | Swimming |
| 128 | Chile (CHI) | 智利 | Zhìlì | Robinson Mendez | Wheelchair tennis |
| 129 | Austria (AUT) | 奥地利 | Aòdìlì | Christoph Etzlstorfer | Athletics |
| 130 | Myanmar (MYA) | 缅甸 | Miǎndiàn | Myint Win | Athletics |
| 131 | Switzerland (SUI) | 瑞士 | Ruìshì | Heinz Frei | Athletics / Cycling |
| 132 | Sweden (SWE) | 瑞典 | Ruìdiǎn | Anders Olsson | Swimming |
| 133 | Mongolia (MGL) | 蒙古 | Měnggǔ | Bazarsuren Choyondorj | Judo |
| 134 | Singapore (SIN) | 新加坡 | Xīnjiāpō | Rui Si Theresa Goh | Swimming |
| 135 | New Zealand (NZL) | 新西兰 | Xīn Xīlán | Sholto Taylor | Wheelchair rugby |
| 136 | Italy (ITA) | 意大利 | Yìdàlì | Francesca Porcellato | Athletics |
| 137 | Senegal (SEN) | 塞内加尔 | Sàinèijiāěr | Nidiaye Mor | Athletics |
| 138 | Serbia (SRB) | 塞尔维亚 | Sàiěrwéiyà | Zlatko Kesler | Table tennis |
| 139 | Cyprus (CYP) | 塞浦路斯 | Sàipǔlùsī | Karolina Pelendritou | Swimming |
| 140 | Mexico (MEX) | 墨西哥 | Mòxīgē | Saul Mendoza | Athletics |
| 141 | Lebanon (LIB) | 黎巴嫩 | Líbānèn | Edward Maalouf | Cycling |
| 142 | Germany (GER) | 德国 | Déguó | Conny Dietz | Goalball |
| 143 | Moldova (MDA) | 摩尔多瓦 | Móěrduōwǎ | Larisa Marinenkova | Powerlifting |
| 144 | Morocco (MAR) | 摩洛哥 | Móluògē | Abdelilah Mame | Athletics |
| 145 | Australia (AUS) | 澳大利亚 | Àodàlìyǎ | Russell Short | Athletics |
| 146 | Zambia (ZAM) | 赞比亚 | Zànbǐyà | Lassam Katongo | Athletics |
| 147 | China (CHN) | 中国 | Zhōngguó | Wang Xiaofu | Swimming |