Firth and Kelly named Team NI's flagbearers

Six-time Paralympic champion swimmer Bethany Firth and 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist bowler Gary Kelly will be Northern Ireland's flagbearers at Thursday's Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow.

Firth is competing at her fourth Games and won gold in Birmingham four years ago.

Kelly, who won his opening game of the men's singles against Fred Tafatu from Niue Island on Thursday morning, will represent Team NI at his third Games after claiming bronze in 2010.

Kelly will carry the NI flag and Firth the King's batons at the ceremony held at Glasgow's Hydro arena which gets under way at 20:00 BST.

For the first time, all 74 nations and territories will have their own baton specially designed to represent their culture.

"It's an honour and privilege to receive such a prestigious opportunity to carry the Northern Ireland flag on behalf of the athletes, my family and my friends," Kelly told BBC Sport NI.

"It's an incredibly special moment for our sport bowls and we had Mark McHugh and Jeremy Henry previously carrying the flag so to go on that list is a pretty cool feeling to join them, but it's about more than bowls and myself it is about representing our people, our culture and family and friends and that's what it's all about."

Firth said she was "honoured", adding: "I've been representing Northern Ireland my whole life, even when I have been wearing my GB flag and just to go out there and hold that baton, I can't wait and I can't wait to tell Charlotte (her daughter) one day that mummy did it for Northern Ireland."