Seppälä will be Finland’s second female flag bearer to date. In 1994 cross country skier Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi carried the flag into the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

"Hanna-Maria has had the most Olympic success of our athletes present during the opening ceremony (fourth in Beijing). She is a four-time Olympic representative and an exemplary top athlete," said Finnish Olympic committee sports director Kari Niemi-Nikkola.

Seppäla said she was honoured to carry the Finnish flag at Friday's opening ceremony for the Olympic Games.

On Tuesday, Anaheim Ducks forward Saku Koivu served as an Olympic torchbearer in London in the run-up to the Games.