Chinese basketball player and NBA star Yao Ming has been picked to hold the national flag at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Friday night.

Cui Dalin, deputy head of the Chinese Olympic delegation, made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

Only those athletes with high sport caliber, good sport ethics and good public image could be chosen to carry the nation's flag, Cui said. "We have many such athletes, and we decided to pick Yao Ming after careful consideration."

Yao carried China's national flag at the opening ceremony of the Athens Games four years ago.

Further explaining why China chose Yao as the national flag bearer again, Cui said, "Yao can perfectly represent Chinese athletes, as he is an excellent athlete with good sport skills, sport ethnics and public image."

Born in 1980, Yao is a professional basketball player serving the Houston Rockets of the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the tallest player in the NBA, standing 2.26 meters.

Yao, a Shanghai native, was picked as No.1 draft pick by the NBA Houston Rockets in 2002. He has been selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game in several seasons.

Yao is married to Ye Li, a former player for the China women's national basketball team.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2008)