Rower Mahe Drysdale will carry the New Zealand flag at the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics on Friday night.

The three-time world champion single sculler was announced as the flag bearer at a formal welcoming function in Beijing on Thursday night, Radio New Zealand reported.

He will lead the New Zealand team into the National Stadium.

Drysdale is due to take part in an event on Saturday and says it took him a little while to accept the role, because he was worried it would affect his performance.

More than 100 members of the New Zealand team are expected to march in the opening ceremony.

Those marching will include representatives from cycling, sailing, equestrian, basketball and swimming.

The opening ceremony is expected to last three hours. New Zealand will march 189th of 205 teams.

The Games are expected to attract a record TV audience of four billion - over 100 million more than for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The Games run until Aug. 24.

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2008)