Canada's flagbearer for Commonwealth Games is ethnic Goan TNN, Sep 21, 2010, 05.26am IST
NEW DELHI: Ken Pereira, a hockey veteran of Indian origin, has been selected to carry the flag for Canada at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. The two-time Olympian's family hails from Goa, although he was born in Toronto, and he is naturally thrilled to lead the 225-member strong contingent in New Delhi. "I'm just picturing that moment...of holding that flag and walking out having 300 to 400 Canadians behind me," Canadian newspaper The Globe And Mail quoted Pereira as saying. "It's especially sweet because it's the birthplace of my parents. We still have a lot of family over there and I'm sure they'll come out and support the Canadian team," added the 37-year-old, who captained the Canadian team in the World Cup in New Delhi this February. The midfielder from Unionville, Ontario, has earned over 300 international caps and is the first team-sport athlete to become the Canadian flagbearer for the CWG. He has made three previous Commonwealth Games appearances, and now plays professional hockey for Dutch club HGC. As a child, Ken Pereira (37) harboured dreams of playing ice hockey, which is a much bigger sport than field hockey in Canada. But his hopes were dashed when he realized he was too small to play professionally. But Pereira - who will be flag-bearer for the Canadian contingent during the CWG opening ceremony in New Delhi-said he never thought of changing his citizenship to play in India or elsewhere. "Just being born in Canada, I couldn't imagine playing for another country," he said. "Even though (field) hockey is bigger in other countries, I couldn't imagine putting on another jersey unless it had the maple leaf on it." With encouragement from his uncle and cousin, he picked up a field hockey stick at age 16. Pereira hopes that the sight of him holding the flag at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will remind the folks back home in Canada that hockey is also played off the ice. "Some people don't even know that we have a men's field hockey team that goes to the Olympics and stuff like that," he said. "I think it will promote the sport in Canada, for sure." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/commonwealth-games/top-stories/Canadas-flagbearer-for-Commonwealth-Games-is-ethnic-Goan/articleshow/6596623.cms * * * Indian-Canadian Pereira amused by identity crisis at Delhi CWG 2010-10-03 12:50:00 Canada's hockey captain Ken Pereira, a player of Indian origin who will be team Canada's flag bearer at the Delhi Commonwealth Games' opening ceremony, has admitted that he is a bit amused by his identity crisis in India. Interacting with media persons in New Delhi, Pereira joked his way out of the issue by making it clear that he was born in Canada, and has only recently started visiting India. The veteran player also said that it is a little awkward when people try to speak with him in Hindi. "It's like a Bollywood movie, it's completely blown up. I'd no idea it would be like this," The Globe and Mail quoted Pereira, as saying. With over 16 years as a member of Canada's hockey team, Pereira has a remarkable international sporting career and has earned over 300 caps. He is widely considered one of the best midfielders in the game. Around 60,000 spectators are expected to attend the three-hour opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday. (ANI) http://sify.com/sports/indian-canadian-pereira-amused-by-identity-crisis-at-delhi-cwg-news-news-kkdmOcgddei.html * * * >From The Globe and Mail, Toronto “I enjoy it but maybe some of the other Canadian guys are struggling,” said Ken Pereira, the team captain and Canada's flag-bearer for the opening ceremonies. Leading the Canadian team into the 60,000-seat Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is a thrill Pereira doesn't want to rush. “I'm going to have goosebumps for the full 400 metres,” said Pereira, who was born in Toronto but his parents were raised in India. “Everybody says to relish it, soak it up. “I'm really looking forward to it. I just hope I don't go too fast out there.” Even Mother Nature has taken a swipe at the Games. The heaviest monsoon rains in seven years have caused floods. Mosquitoes have led to the worst dengue fever outbreak in a decade. A cobra hissed its disapproval at the tennis venue while menacing monkeys have staked out the swimming facility. “I want to see that kind of stuff because we don't see that in Canada,” laughed Pereira. “We haven't seen anything that out of the ordinary, other than the odd elephant and a cow here and there.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/canada-concerned-about-opening-ceremonies/article1739534/ * * * Canadian flag bearer 'fine' with athletes village Last Updated: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 | 5:04 PM ET Comments13Recommend13 The Canadian Press Ken Pereira was chosen to carry the Canadian flag at the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.Ken Pereira was chosen to carry the Canadian flag at the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. (Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images) Canadian Commonwealth Games flag-bearer Ken Pereira has no complaints about the conditions of the athletes facilities in Delhi, where the Games are to begin Sunday. The 37-year-old field hockey player from Unionville, Ont., embarking on his fourth Commonwealth Games, checked into his room at the athletes village late Monday. "I thought they were OK; they were fine," he told The Canadian Press after practice Tuesday. The athletes village is in New Delhi, India's capital, although competition events will be held throughout the larger territory of Delhi. Grouped by country, the athletes are housed in apartment buildings, with every unit having three bedrooms, each of which will be shared by two people. Even the flag-bearer has a roommate. "I'm a team guy," he said with a laugh. Pereira says it's clear that local workers and team officials hustled in recent days to fix some of the problems with the village that had been publicized in the media. Athletes who had heard stories and seen video of bare, dirty rooms and flooded hallways expected the worst but were relieved to see improvements. "So, when we got here, it was like, 'Well, this is OK. This is totally fine'," Pereira said. "I was fine with everything." Pereira, who plays professionally in the Netherlands, said he personally was optimistic coming into the Games. "I just know these events are so tough to put on; they're such a massive thing," he said. "You're going to run into some problems … I'm sure if you were to go to all the athletes in the whole village, that they were probably a little bit more surprised … at how it actually turned out." Pereira and his team were in New Delhi in March for the World Cup. They stayed in a hotel. While some athletes have decided to withdraw from the Games, Pereira was keen to come. His parents are from India, and he has relatives in Delhi. What's more, field hockey is a big sport at the Commonwealth Games and in India. "Seven out of the 10 teams here were at the past World Cup," he said. "So, it's definitely a tough competition." Pereira was one of about 45 Canadian athletes to arrive in Delhi Monday night. A similar number was expected Tuesday, including the women's field hockey team and Canada's boxers. In all, some 850 athletes from round the world were expected Tuesday. Canada is sending a team of 400 athletes, coaches and support staff to the Games, which open Sunday and run through Oct. 14. http://www.cbc.ca/commonwealthgames/story/2010/09/28/spc-commonwealth-village-pereira.html
