Indian Men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and Olympic boxer Lovlina Borgohain will lead the Indian contingent during the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Hangzhou on September 23.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Wednesday announced joint flag-bearers for the continental event.
This year’s Asian Games feature the largest contingent of Indian competitors ever, with 655 athletes competing.
“We decided after much deliberation today,” Indian contingent Chef de Mission Bhupender Singh Bajwa told PTI.
“This time we will have two flag-bearers leading the contingent at the Asian Games — hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and boxer Lovlina Borgohain,” added Bajwa, who is also Wushu Association of India chief.
The opening ceremony of the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games was performed by star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.
Lovlina had earned a Bronze medal in the 69kg weight category at the Tokyo Olympics. She is the third Indian boxer to win a medal in the Olympics. She won gold in the 75kg category in the World Women’s Boxing Championships in New Delhi this year.
Harmanpreet Singh is one of the top drag-flickers in the world and was a member of the team that won a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, ending India’s four-decade-long medal drought in the Olympics.
If the Indian men’s hockey team wins gold at the Hangzhou Games, they will directly qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
