New Delhi, Jul 5 (Agency) Six-time world boxing champion MC Mary Kom and men’s hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh will be India’s flag-bearers at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced on Monday. Bajrang Punia, a silver medallist at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships and one of India’s biggest medal hopes, will be the flag bearer at the closing ceremony on August 8.
The IOA has communicated the decision in this regard to the organising committee of the Tokyo Games. According to IOA, Indian contingent for the Olympics would be around 126 athletes and 75 officials. The contingent comprises 56 per cent of men and 44 per cent of women. In a first, India is having two flag-bearers – one male and one female — at the upcoming Tokyo Games to ensure ‘gender parity’.