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Five top candidates to carry Canada’s flag in Sochi

The Canadian Olympic Committee is going to announce who will carry the country's flag at the 2014 Sochi Olympics on Thursday in Ottawa, and whatever decision they make is sure to be a highly-debated one. The decision on who should carry a country's flag in the opening ceremonies of an Olympics is never an easy one, and the 21 different Canadians who have done so (including speed skater Clara Hughes in 2010) come from remarkably different backgrounds. It's difficult to compare athletes' accomplishments across sports, and when you consider that other elements such as athletes' current medal potential, leadership and community contributions, provincial and linguistic representation and timing of their events also come into play, the decision that chef de mission Steve Podborski, his assistants France St-Louis and Jean-Luc Brassard and a representative of the COC's Athletes' Commission have to make isn't going to be simple. Fortunately, they have plenty of good candidates to choose from. Here are five of the top contenders:

Hayley Wickenheiser, women's hockey: The 35-year-old Wickenheiser has dominated her sport for over a decade and is heading to her fifth Olympics, and she has three golds and a silver to her credit. However, the women's hockey program is still in a bit of turmoil following the December resignation of head coach Dan Church and the controversial elevation of Kevin Dineen. Moreover, women's hockey had the opening ceremonies flag-bearer in 2006 with Danielle Goyette, so another sport may take precedence. Still, Shaunavon, Saskatchewan native Wickenheiser is a highly recognizable name, and she'd be a great choice.

Alex Bilodeau, freestyle (mogul) skiing: Bilodeau is one of the most-talked-about Canadians heading into these Olympics, and for good reason. The Montreal native picked up Canada's first Olympic gold on home soil in 2010 and has been shining on the World Cup circuit. No freestyle skier has carried the flag at the opening ceremonies since Brassard in 1998, so that may boost Bilodeau's case futher. However, his recent reluctance to talk to the media and growing rivalry with teammate Mikael Kingsbury may not help him.

Kaillie Humphries & Heather Moyse, bobsleigh: There's never been a team carrying the Canadian flag, but this might be a good time to start. Calgary native Humphries and Summerside, PEI's Moyse earned gold in Vancouver in 2010 and have been doing very well on the World Cup circuit. No one from a sliding sport has ever led Canada at an opening or closing ceremonies, but these two would be excellent candidates to break that streak.

Erik Guay, alpine skiing: No alpine skier has carried the Canadian flag in the opening ceremonies since legendary Crazy Canuck (and recent Alpine Canada Alpin head) Ken Read in 1980, but Guay would have a strong case. He's off to his third Olympics, and although he hasn't yet medalled, he came close in both 2006 (fourth) and 2010 (a pair of fifths); he also broke Podborski's record for World Cup podium finishes this season and earned his first World Cup gold since 2010 in December, so he has strong medal potential. The Mont Tremblant, Quebec native has demonstrated great perseverance, bouncing back from July surgery, and he's currently seventh in the World Cup overall standings at the moment.

Jasey-Jay Anderson, snowboarding: The 38-year-old Anderson's heading to his fifth Olympics, which is remarkable, and he's defending a gold medal from 2010 in the parallel giant slalom. He's won four Crystal Globes as the overall World Cup champion, too. The Montreal native isn't as big of a name as some of these other candidates, but a snowboarder has never carried the flag for Canada, and Montreal native Anderson might be an excellent person to break that streak given his impressive career.

Other candidates: Men's hockey captain Sidney Crosby will certainly be considered, given his success in both the NHL and at the international level (where he scored the gold-medal-winning goal for Canada in 2010), but he would have to take extra time off from the NHL to carry the flag, and a pro hockey player may not be considered the most representative of Canada's athletes. Short-track speed skater Charles Hamelin is in contention too, as he won two golds in Vancouver and should be a threat again in Sochi, but Hughes' role in 2010 means speed skating was just honoured. Ice-dancing pair Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, who won gold in 2010, could also be considered, but their event starts soon after the opening ceremonies. All of these (and plenty of other accomplished Canadian athletes) should get a look, though. Podborski and his team have plenty of great options to choose from, and while that makes for a difficult decision, it says a lot of good things about the state of Canadian Winter Olympic sports.