Poll: 60% want woman to carry China's Olympic flag

Flag bearer Sheng Lei of China carries the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 5, 2016. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

A poll showed that nearly 60 percent people said they want to see a woman carrying the Chinese national flag during the next Olympic Games.

The poll, conducted by China Daily website, questioned 2,909 people after Lei Sheng was named the flag bearer in the opening ceremony of the ongoing Rio Olympics.

Among the polled 59.96 percent said they want the nation to change its 32-year tradition of passing the honor only to male athletes in the nine Summer Olympic events it has taken part in since 1984.

Another 31.68 percent said gender is not their concern.

Olympic champion fencer Lei has already become a game changer by breaking basketball players' long-time domination of carrying the flag. China favored tall basketball stars, for example, former NBA legend Yao Ming, as the face of its Olympic delegation.