Manu Bhaker, Tajinderpal Toor Named Flag-Bearers For Asian Games Opening Ceremony

Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and defending Asian Games shot put champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor were named India’s flag-bearers for the Asian Games opening ceremony, but a last-minute kit delay forced a change, with kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat replacing Toor.

India’s chef-de-mission Sahdev Yadav had on Friday announced Bhaker as one of the flag-bearers, while the Athletics Federation of India later confirmed Toor as the second. However, Toor said on Saturday that his official kit had not reached him in time for the ceremony.

“I am told that my kit will reach at 3pm at the Nagoya airport. Reaching the opening ceremony venue after collecting my kit from airport on time will be very difficult,” Toor told PTI.

Toor also said the athletics team had not received its kits so far. The 74-member athletics contingent has been training at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo since September 13 for an acclimatisation camp and is scheduled to reach Nagoya on Monday.

Sehrawat, who was part of India’s gold-winning men’s kabaddi team at the previous Asian Games, will now carry the national flag alongside Bhaker at the opening ceremony.

A total of 158 members of the Indian contingent are expected to take part in the ceremony, according to deputy chef de mission and former shooter Anjali Bhagwat.

Bhaker’s selection followed her historic performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she became the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at a single edition of the Games.

Toor has won gold at the last two Asian Games and was expected to represent India’s strong athletics programme. At the 2023 Hangzhou Games, athletics won 29 medals, including six gold, while shooting contributed 22 medals, including seven gold.

Meanwhile, long jumper David Solomon has been added as a replacement for injured Shahnavaz Khan, taking the athletics contingent to 75. Long-distance runner Abhishek Pal remains unavailable following an alleged doping offence and a subsequent NADA hearing.