New Delhi: In a break from tradition, the Indian contingent will have two flag-bearers at the 19th Asian Games opening ceremony in Hangzhou, China, on September 23.
The honour of leading out the Indian contingent will be bestowed on female boxer Lovlina Borgohain and men’s hockey team skipper Harmanpreet Singh, both bronze-medallists at the Tokyo Olympics.
Javelin star Neeraj Chopra had done the honours at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
“This time we will have two flag-bearers leading the contingent at the Asian Games — hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and boxer Lovlina Borgohain. We arrived at the decision after much deliberation today,” Indian contingent’s Chef de Mission Bhupender Singh Bajwa told PTI.
Lovlina bagged bronze in 69 kg category at the Tokyo Games two years ago. In March this year, she struck gold in the World Championships at New Delhi – this time in 75 kg category.
Harmanpreet, one of the best drag-flickers in world hockey, was part of the team that won a bronze at Tokyo, breaking a more than four-decade medal drought in the Olympics.
A record 655 Indian athletes will be competing in the 2023 Asian Games, which was originally scheduled to be held last year.
