Tokyo Olympics: About 22 athletes and six officials from the Indian contingent will attend the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics on Friday evening at the National Stadium, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Dhruv Batra informed on Thursday. The athletes will include both the Indian flag-bearers, six-time world champion boxer, M C Mary Kom, and national men’s hockey team skipper, Manpreet Singh.
The decision was taken in view of the numbers of Indian matches scheduled on the first day of Olympic competitions on Saturday. The ceremony is likely continue well past midnight Tokyo time and it would be difficult for athletes to line up for their morning matches on Saturday without proper sleep and rest.
The numbers shared till now for participation in opening Ceremony for Indian Contingent by village office of Indian contingent are as below:–
Participating:
1. Hockey — 1
2. Boxing — 8
3. Table Tennis — 4
4. Rowing — 2
5. Gymnastics — 1
6. Swimming — 1
7. Sailing — 4
8. Fencing — 1
9. Officals — 6
MC Mary Kom and Manpreet Singh, India’s flag-bearers for the opening ceremony, will be both present.
Total number of Indian athletes and officials to participate in Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony (subject to change) is 28 as of now.
Athletes not participating:
1. Archery
2. Judo
3. Badminton
4. Weightlifting
5. Tennis
6. Hockey M & W
7. Shooting .
Both men’s and women’s hockey team’s preliminary round matches are scheduled for Saturday, but Manpreet has agreed to lead the contingent, alongside Mary Kom, for the ceremony. India’s star men’s freestyle wrestler and one of the biggest medal hopes, Bajrang Punia, will be the country’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremony on August 8.
India in previous Olympics
In the 2016 Rio Olympics, 117 Indian athletes participated (63 men and 54 women) across 15 sports. The Indian roster featured three Olympic medalists from London, including badminton star Saina Nehwal, freestyle wrestler and four-time Olympian Yogeshwar Dutt, and rifle shooter Gagan Narang.
In the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, India sent 83 athletes, 60 men, and 23 women, who competed in 13 sports. In the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, 57 athletes in 12 sports represented India, and for the first time since 1928, the men’s national field hockey team was unable to take part in the Summer Olympics after failing to qualify.
