Curling’s status within Team GB’s winter sports community has been recognised once again with the selection of Tia Laurie as a flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony at the Winter Youth Olympic Games which get underway in Gangwon, South Korea this weekend.
The 16-year-old from Dumfries shares the honour with short track speed skating’s Willem Murray, both athletes having been nominated by their sports as outstanding ambassadors who best display Team GB values. 
“It's such an honour to be chosen to be one of the flag bearers for Great Britain at the Opening Ceremony. I'm so proud to hold our country's flag and it feels even more special with Eve (Muirhead) by our side,” said Laurie, who starts her competition in the Mixed Team event on the 20th January.
Muirhead is Team GB’s Chef de Mission for Gangwon 2024 having retired after ending a stellar career which encompassed four Winter Olympic Games, by skipping the women’s curling team that won Team GB’s only gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.
Having been a flag bearer at the start of those Games, before fellow curler Bruce Mouat, was similarly honoured at the Closing Ceremony after skipping the men’s team that won Team GB’s only other medal in Beijing, Muirhead knows how much it means to the athletes selected.
“I am so thrilled for both Willem and Tia upon being chosen as the Opening Ceremony flag bearers,” she said.
“Both athletes are thoroughly deserving of this accolade and have truly embraced being part of One Team GB. 
“The honour of leading your country out at a Games is a huge accomplishment and for athletes who are already such great ambassadors for their sport at this age, they’ll remember this for a long time.”
Laurie and 16-year-old Holly Burke from Wishaw join forces with two more 16-year-olds from Dumfries, skip Logan Carson and Archie Hyslop, who both have major championship experience as part of the Scotland team which, skipped by Carson’s older brother Orrin, contested last year’s World Junior Championships in Germany and claimed a bronze medal.
“It feels really special to be here,” said Carson.
“It will be a different experience from the World Juniors, but I am sure having been to that event and having had that arena experience and meeting all the other teams there will help prepare me for this both on and off the ice and I am sure it won’t be too much of a challenge because of that.”
“This will be slightly different for me in that I will be skipping this team, so I have more responsibility, but I have a good team in front of me which makes my job easier and will really help.
“There might be times when I will think what would Orrin do in this situation on ice and I have spoken a bit to him about this, but I also know what I think in those scenarios and so hopefully it will be a recipe for success.
“We will know some of the other players in other teams from European Junior Curling Tour events so we know that the standard will be pretty high but we are ready for the challenge and to be honest are keen for the event to start now so we can put all that training and practice into action.”
The event will be part of an exciting sequence for Carson and Hyslop who are heading to another World Junior Championships in Finland next month following the successful defence of their Scottish title earlier in the season, but the team’s skip acknowledged that this will be a very different experience which will stand all of them in good stead in the longer term. 
“This is my first time in Korea and in Asia,” Carson explained.
“I have never travelled beyond Europe before and it does feel like a long way from home but Team GB have been brilliant in supporting and helping us all so we all feel really confident about the event ahead of us and I think we will all be fine.
“Having had experience of representing your country at a World Junior Champs and a major event and arena experience will hopefully give us an edge and after the Youth Olympics I will be playing in some games at the Scottish Championships and also the World Juniors so hopefully all of this will also help when we return to the World Juniors where we hope to upgrade that bronze medal, in fact I am confident we can do that.
“My family support at YOG will be my brother Struan as other family are coming out to Finland, so it is an exciting time for all of the family.
“Obviously we would like to come away with a gold medal from Korea, but I think having experience of a multi-sport event will be invaluable and will stick with me for the rest of my career.
“I would like to make it to an Olympics one day like fellow Dumfries curlers Grant Hardie and Ross Whyte.
“Ross went to a Youth Olympics and then came away with a silver medal from the Winter Olympics in Beijing, so to follow in his footsteps would be a great feeling for me.
“I watch him a lot. He is a great role model to me and I hope to emulate that.”
The Opening Ceremony for the Winter Youth Olympics takes place on January 19, with the Mixed Team Curling event getting underway the following day (20-25 January). The Mixed Doubles discipline starts next week (26 January – 1 February) with Aberdeen’s Ethan Brewster and Forfar’s Callie Soutar representing Team GB.
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