By BILL BEACON -- Canadian Press  MONTREAL -- World champion kayaker Caroline Brunet will carry Canada's flag at next month's Sydney Olympics.

 Brunet was beamed in by satellite from Brisbane, Australia on Tuesday, where it was 5:30 a.m., local time, to officially accept the honour.

 Twenty-seven Sydney-bound athletes gathered at a news conference in Montreal to announce the Canadian Olympic team and unveil the team uniforms from Roots.

 "When I found out it was such an honour," Brunet said. "It's going to be a night that I'll remember for a long time."

 Jean-Luc Brassard complained in 1998 that carrying the flag at the opening ceremonies for the Nagano Olympics hurt his performance later on. But Brunet doesn't think she'll feel more pressure because she's flag-bearer.

 "I don't think so," she said. "I've always felt that my own pressure was more than enough. I won't allow any more."

 Brunet, from Lac Beauport, Que., was chosen by a selection committee comprised of Diane Jones Konihowski, the Canadian team's chef de mission, assistant chef de mission Betty Dermer-Norris, three athletes, a team leader and a coaching representative.

 Brunet, 31, said she was thrilled to have been named flag-bearer.

 "Representing my fellow athletes and my country at these Games will undoubtedly be my finest hour," says Brunet. "Although I'm not there in person to receive the flag, a big part of me is with you during this celebration."

 Brunet, who has been training on the Gold Coast north of Sydney since the beginning of August, is a three-time world champion in the individual sprint kayak event and will be favoured to win gold in Sydney. But she didn't expect she would be asked to be the flag-bearer.

 "I never did this sport to be recognized so it was a bit surprising," Brunet said.

 Brunet, who missed a gold medal in the 500-metre event at the Atlanta Games by two-tenths of a second, will participate in singles and doubles, known as K-1 and K-2.

 Her K-2 partner will be Karen Furneaux of Waverley, N.S.

 Brunet will have plenty of time to rest after carrying the flag. The opening ceremonies go Sept. 15 while the preliminary heats for her first event are Sept. 26.

 "I arrived early in Australia because I usually have problems with jet lag," Brunet said. "So far things are going really well."

 The team, comprised of 309 athletes, was officially announced at the Roots Store in Montreal. The athletes modelled the Roots shirts, pants, vests and hats.

Flagbearers in review
 A look at Canadian Olympic flagbearers for the opening ceremonies at the Summer Games:
 2000: Caroline Brunet, kayak
 1996: Charmaine Crooks, athletics
 1992: Michael Smith, athletics
 1988: Carolyn Waldo, synchronized swimming
 1984: Alex Baumann, swimming
 1980: Sue Holloway, canoeing
 1976: Abby Hoffman, track
 1972: Doug Rogers, judo
 1968: Roger Jackson, rowing
 1964: Gilmour Boa, shooting
 1960: Carl Schwende, fencing
 1956: Robert Steckle, wrestling
 1952: William Parnell, athletics
 1948: Robert McFarlane, athletics
 1936: James Worrall, athletics
 1932: George Maughan, boxing
 1928: Joseph Wright Jr., rowing
 1924: Hector Phillips, athletics
 1920: Archie McDiarmid, weight thrower
 1912: Duncan Gillis, athletics