Team Darfur Member Will Carry Flag into Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium

Great news! Lopez Lomong will carry the flag into Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium. This is great courage & leadership by the U.S. athletes. Bon courage & bonne chance in your events.

From the AP:

Former 'Lost Boy' Lomong chosen to carry U.S. flag

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Associated Press

DALIAN, China -- Eight years ago, Lopez Lomong didn't even have a country. Now he'll be carrying the flag for his adopted nation, leading the U.S. Olympic team at opening ceremonies Friday night. Lomong, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, won a vote of team captains Wednesday to earn the honor of leading America's contingent into the 90,000-seat Bird's Nest Stadium.

The 1,500-meter track runner will be the flagbearer only 13 months after becoming a U.S. citizen.

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"When we were in Africa, we didn't know what was there for us as kids--we just ran. God was planning all of this stuff for me, and I didn't know. Now I'm using running to get the word out about how horrible things were back in Sudan during the war. Sometimes these things are not on CNN, so if I put out the word, I hope people can get the information. Right now, similar terrible things are going on in Darfur; people are running out of Darfur, and I put myself in their shoes." From Lopez Lomong's home page.