Olympics: Docherty name puzzle

New Zealand Olympic bosses say they have no idea how a mix-up saw some world television audiences told that triathlete Bevan Docherty was the flag-bearer.

When rower Mahe Drysdale lead the team into the stadium on Friday night, official Olympic broadcasters commentating on an English language satellite feed said he was Docherty.

Team chef de mission Dave Currie, who appointed the flagbearer, said yesterday he did not give Olympic officials the wrong information and he had no idea how they came to say it.

Docherty had been widely tipped to be the flagbearer. But Currie said this was not the case. While Docherty had figured in his early thinking, Drysdale was his pick. It was Drysdale's name he had given to organisers late last week.