Speedskater to carry flag

Over a successful career spent on the ice and on her bike, Clara Hughes has grown into more than simply an accomplished amateur athlete.She's an advocate for the environment. She's a humanitarian activist. She's a motivational speaker and engaged world citizen.And now the 37-year-old is the face of Canada's Olympic team as the flag-bearer for the Vancouver Olympics."I think she is the cream of the crop," said Beckie Scott, the former Olympic cross-country champion who shares many of the same qualities as Hughes."Not just when it comes to what she's accomplished as an athlete, but as a human being. She's a gem. She's someone who is truly remarkable in all arenas."The flag-bearer carries both overt and subtle messages about the image a country wants to project as it strides into the opening ceremonies of an Olympic Games and the Canadian Olympic Committee believes Hughes delivers all the right ones.Hard work, relentless determination, dignified humility and a desire to impact the greater good are quintessential Canadian traits, and each is obvious in the Winnipeg native who now lives in Glen Sutton, Que."For me, and I think most of the team members would say, Clara as a human being represents what we're trying to do as a Canadian team," said Chris Rudge, the Canadian Olympic Committee's executive director.