Ice dancers Virtue and Moir will follow in the footsteps of ice hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser, flag bearer at Sochi 2014, when they lead a team of 230 Canadian athletes at the parade.

They will also be the first-ever pair to lead out the Canadian Olympic team in an Opening Ceremony when they march out at the Opening Ceremony on February 9. 

Virtue and Moir have been dancing together for over a decade following international success at an early stage in their careers.

They followed up their World Junior Championships title win in 2006 in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana with a silver medal at just their second senior World Championships in 2008 in Gothenburg before clinching bronze the following year in Los Angeles.

Their career highlight, however, came at Vancouver 2010 when they became both the youngest and first North Americans to win an Olympic ice dance title at the ages of 20, Virtue, and 22, Moir.

They then claimed silver medals in the team and ice dancing events at Sochi 2014.

The duo have been in fantastic form recently with an undefeated 2016-2017 season, ensuring they won their first ever International Skating Union Grand Prix Final.

Following the announcement of Virtue and Moir as flag bearers for Pyeongchang 2018 by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Virtue said: "The privilege of carrying the flag comes with great responsibility that we do not take lightly.

"We commit to embodying the values and standards that make Canada such a special place, and vow to embrace the Olympic spirit in its purest form."

Moir added: "Being named flag bearers for Canada is the highest honour of our careers, and we couldn’t be more grateful to the COC (Canadian Olympic Committee) for their belief in us.

"We will be marching into the Opening Ceremony with a strong, confident and inspired team of Canadian athletes - a group that will fearlessly represent our great nation on the world’s biggest stage."