Gower who competed in the giant slalom, slalom and team parallel giant slalom was selected by his fellow teammates in a secret vote.

Speaking on his selection, Gower said: "It's amazing.

"I am so happy.

"I was crossing my fingers but I wasn't sure if I would get the honour.

"It's very special because it is voted on by the athletes, I knew that alpine had voted for me but to have other the disciplines vote is great.

"It is a lovely end to way to end the week.

"The EYOWF has been an amazing experience, the British Olympic Association was great and I made fantastic new friends.

"My performances could have been better but I tried my best and I can learn from this.

"I am just so happy I get to carry the flag!

"I will be very nervous, especially since it is just me carrying the flag.

"But I am definitely looking forward to telling my family, especially my little brother who is back home."

Gower was placed 17th out of 101 competitors in the slalom and 22nd out of 100 in the giant slalom.

He demonstrated excellent consistency throughout the week and achieved proportionally the best results at the festival.

Ross Gardner, Britain's lpine Team Leader said: "Jack has performed consistently well here in Liberec.

"He's trained really hard and his performances in slalom and giant slalom were both really good amongst some of the best alpine nations in Europe.

"All the athletes we have in this alpine team are the best in Britain and some rose to the occasion whereas others weren't able to do so as much.

"This has been a great stepping stone for Jack and all the other athletes. He can use this as good experience of being around all the other athletes from different countries.

"He's getting a lot closer to some of the top skiers so it's really beneficial for him to come out here and get the whole Olympic experience."

The European Youth Olympic Festival - previously called European Youth Olympic Days - was founded in 1990 by the European Olympic Committee as an initiative of current International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
February 2011: Scot chosen to carry British flag at Youth Olympic Festival