The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday confirmed that boxer Mary Kom and men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh would be the flagbearers for the Indian contingent.
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After being announced as the flag bearer of India for the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, boxer Mary Kom said she is very happy to be given this opportunity. She also added she will do her best at the Games.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday confirmed that boxer Mary Kom and men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh would be the flagbearers for the Indian contingent. Wrestler Bajrang Punia would bear the Indian flag at the closing ceremony.
“I am very happy about being given this opportunity to be the flagbearer. I want to thank each and everyone, SAI, IOA, Sports Ministry, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It’s not easy for everyone to be given this opportunity,” Mary Kom told ANI.
“I don’t have words to express my happiness because this will be my last Olympics and being the flag bearer, it’s a really big thing. Yes, expectations give pressure it’s not easy to tackle it but how to handle that pressure, I have learnt,” she added.
Further talking about the Games, Mary Kom said: “I will try and handle the pressure. It’s really important to perform well. I am working really hard and focusing on every aspect, will try to do my best at the Games.”
The official size of the Indian contingent will be around 126 athletes and 75 officials taking the total to 201.
The Indian contingent has 56 percent male and 44 percent female athletes, the IOA informed.
Meanwhile, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and IOA continued their efforts to sensitize the Tokyo-bound athletes with a session titled ‘From India with Pride.’ The aim of this session is to help the athletes understand the Japanese culture and address the possible barriers besides being ideal ambassadors of the country. Tuesday’s session was attended by badminton players and table tennis players– PV Sindhu, Sai Praneeth, Manika Batra, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, and others. Renowned media professional Joy Bhattacharjya moderated the session for which Go Sports Foundation is the knowledge partner.
