Tyler Smith expressed excitement and nerves after being named as Bermuda’s flag-bearer for the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony tonight.

The triathlete, who is making his Games debut, will carry his country’s flag at the competition’s curtain raiser at Carrara Stadium in front of an expected 1.5 billion television viewers worldwide.

“I’m more nervous to carry the flag than I am about the race now,” said Smith, who was selected for the honour by Katura Horton-Perinchief, Bermuda’s chef de mission.

“We train every day to race a triathlon, but I can’t remember the last time I carried a flag.”

Smith said his flag-bearer duties will help keep his mind off competing in the men’s triathlon in Southport Broadwater Parklands tomorrow afternoon.

“It was a massive surprise given the calibre and experience of the team,” said Smith, whose mother, Karen Smith, competed in triathlon at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

“It’s going to be a huge honour to walk the team into a Commonwealth Games, which is a major competition. The excitement is already pretty high ... this just adds to it.”

Smith and his team-mates were officially welcomed to the Athletes’ Village yesterday. Long jumper Tyrone Smith was missing, as he had not yet arrived on the Gold Coast.

Judy Simons, the Bermuda Olympic Association president, Stan Douglas, the BOA general secretary, Horton-Perinchief, along with coaches DeVon Bean, Patrick Foster and Dan Hugo were also in attendance.

The Australian ceremony included indigenous traditions and a special first nations welcome by the Yugambeh people.

The island’s flag was then raised to the theme of Hail to Bermuda before traditional gifts were exchanged between Horton-Perinchief and Athlete Village co-mayors Sarah Carrigan, who won a gold medal in cycling at the 2004 Athens Games, and Mark Stockwell, who claimed three medals in swimming at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Micah Franklin, the island’s sole squash competitor on the Gold Coast, carried Bermuda’s flag at the previous Games, in Glasgow in 2014.