Athens 2004 and Rio 2016 bronze medallist Hesham Elshwikh will be competing at his sixth Games and has been named as the one of the flag bearers of Egypt at Tuesday’s Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games opening ceremony.

The six-time Paralympian, 45, will be carrying the flag for Egypt along with powerlifting athlete Fatma Omar.

Hesham’s outstanding leadership helped Egypt to make its sixth straight appearance in the Paralympic Games and become a top contender in major international competitions in recent times.

He made his Paralympic debut at Sydney 2000, before he guided his team in claiming its first sitting volleyball Paralympic medal – a bronze medal after their five-set defeat of Germany.

His nation enjoyed success at the World Championships with him in the team, winning bronze at Roermond 2006 and Edmond 2010.

At the continental level, they have dominated winning the last two African Championships in 2015 and 2017.

At the Rio 2016 Paralympics, Egypt’s multi-skilled captain was the fifth best scorer, tallying 48 spikes, 11 blocks and six service winners. The African team ended top of their group, then lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the semifinals before defeating hosts Brazil 3-2 (28–26, 29–31, 19–25, 25–22, 15–13) in the thrilling bronze medal match.