Manu Bhaker, Tajinderpal Toor named flag bearers for Asian Games opening ceremony

Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor have been named India’s flag-bearers for the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, which will be held on Saturday.

The Opening ceremony at Paloma Mizuho Stadium runs from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm IST.

More than 500 Indian athletes are set to compete across 37 sports at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, which will feature participants from 45 countries and regions across 43 sports. The Games will conclude on 4 October.

Bhaker arrives in Japan as one of India’s leading sporting stars after making history at the Paris Olympics last year. She became the first Indian athlete in the post-independence era to win two medals at a single edition of the Olympics, claiming bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol and the 10m air pistol mixed team event.

The 23-year-old also has Asian Games pedigree, having been part of India’s gold-medal-winning women’s 25m pistol team at the Hangzhou 2022 Games.

Toor, meanwhile, will lead the Indian contingent alongside Bhaker as he bids for a third consecutive Asian Games gold in men’s shot put. The Punjab athlete won the title at both the 2018 Jakarta and 2022 Hangzhou editions.

The Asian Games are held every four years under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will be the third edition hosted by Japan, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.

India enter the Games aiming to better their record-breaking performance at Hangzhou 2022, where the contingent won 107 medals, including 28 gold.

India will defend its Asian Games titles in men’s and women’s cricket and kabaddi, while the men’s hockey team will also arrive as the reigning champion.

PV Sindhu will spearhead India’s badminton campaign, while Mirabai Chanu will lead the weightlifting contingent. Bhaker will be among the country’s key shooting contenders, with Aman Sehrawat representing India in wrestling and Lovlina Borgohain leading the boxing challenge.

Athletics will feature more than 75 Indian competitors, with Gulveer Singh, Tejaswin Shankar, Murali Sreeshankar, Jyothi Yarraji and Parul Chaudhary among the prominent names expected to challenge for medals. Toor will be one of the leading figures in the field events.

The Games will also carry added significance in several disciplines, with Olympic qualification quotas available in archery, sailing, squash, surfing and tennis.

With IANS inputs