(Santiago de Chile) Volleyball players Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson will be Canada’s flag bearers during the opening ceremony of the Pan American Games.

Toronto will lead the Canadian delegation into the stadium Friday night in Santiago, Chile.

“Brandie and Melissa are two incredible athletes and wonderful inspirations. The way they carry themselves on and off the field makes them the perfect choice for this role. I can’t wait to walk behind them in the Estadio Nacional, as they proudly lead the way for Team Canada at the opening ceremony,” said Chef de Mission Christine Girard in a press release.

Humana-Paredes, whose parents are of Chilean descent, and Wilkerson became teammates earlier this year. They are ranked fifth in the world.

“It’s extremely meaningful for me to be able to experience this in Chile, my family’s home country, who will also be there,” Humana-Paredes said.

The Ontarians competed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and reached the quarterfinals with each a different teammate.

Wilkerson will compete in the Pan American Games for the first time in his career. Humana-Paredes competed at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games with Taylor Pischke, and they finished just off the podium in the women’s tournament.

Canada has not won a medal in beach volleyball at the Pan American Games since Winnipeg in 1999, when Jody Holden and Conrad Leinemann won gold in the men’s category.

The Santiago Pan American Games beach volleyball tournaments will take place October 21-27. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson will take action on October 21 against Uruguay.

Canadian field hockey team captain Scott Tupper was named the country’s flag bearer during the opening ceremony of the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in 2019.