Only 19 Indian athletes attended the ceremony, including flag-bearers - boxer Mary Kom and men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh, who were accompanied by six officials.
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The Indian contingent marched through Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympics, led by boxing legend MC Mary Kom and Indian men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only 19 Indian athletes attended the ceremony. It included flag-bearers Mary Kom and Manpreet Singh, who were accompanied by six officials. The athletes wore blazers with the country’s name embroidered on them. Despite Mary and Manpreet carrying the Indian flag in front, all members of the contingent waved small flags themselves. The country has a 228-strong delegation in Tokyo, including over 120 athletes.
Manpreet was the only hockey player in the contingent during the parade. Mary Kom was accompanied by fellow boxers Lovlina Borgohain, Pooja Rani, Amit Panghal, Manish Kaushik, Ashish Kumar and Satish Kumar. The six officials who were present were India’s Chef de Mission Birender Prasad Baishya, Deputy Chef de Mission Dr Prem Verma, Team doctor Dr Arun Basil Mathew, manager of table tennis team MP Singh, boxing coach Muhammad Ali Qamar and gymnastics coach Lakhan Sharma.
There were no spectators in the stadium during the ceremony. However, there were fireworks and music, from famous Japanese video games, to which each of the competing nations walked in. It was led by Greece, home of the Ancient Olympic Games, with host nation Japan entering the stadium last as the Tokyo Olympics were officially declared open by Japan’s Emperor Naruhito.
A matter of great pride for the entire nation as the Indian Contingent marches by at the Opening Ceremony of #Tokyo2020 #Cheer4India #Olympics @PMOIndia | @ianuragthakur | @NisithPramanik | @WeAreTeamIndia | @YASMinistry | @PIB_India | @ddsportschannel | @AkashvaniAIR pic.twitter.com/nudSzpZ8c3
— SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) July 23, 2021
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach expressed his gratitude to the host nation, Japan. He said, “Today is a moment of hope. Let us cherish this moment, because finally we are here, all together. Athletes from 205 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, living under one roof together in the Olympic Village.”
“This is the unifying power of sport. We can only be all together here because of you, our gracious hosts – the Japanese people, to whom we would like to express all our appreciation and support.”
Meanwhile, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee president Hashimoto Seiko said, “The whole world has faced immense challenges with COVID-19. I would like to express my gratitude and respect to all essential workers including those in medical services and others around the world who have shown such determination in overcoming these challenges.”
The Olympic Cauldron has been lit! ?@naomiosaka does the honours as the curtain rises on #Tokyo2020. #OpeningCeremony | #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/6bYlwnMDfh
— Olympics (@Olympics) July 23, 2021
Naomi Osaka served as the final torchbearer of the Olympic Torch Relay, lighting the cauldron inside Olympic Stadium. The 23-year-old is a four-time major champion in tennis who is making her Olympic debut. Her lighting of the cauldron served as one of the final moments of an enlightening Opening Ceremony.
The lighting of the cauldron marked the end of a long journey for the Olympic Torch through Japan, culminating in a relay that began on March 25. The torch entered into Olympic Stadium, carried by Olympic champions Nomura Tadahiro (judo) and Yoshida Saori (wrestling). It was handed off to Japanese baseball legends Hideki Matsui, Shigeo Nagashima, and Oh Sadaharu.
A pair of healthcare first responders then took the flame, passing it along to Tsuchida Wakako, a seven-time Paralympian and three-time gold medallist. Tsuchida handed the torch to a group of Japanese youth before it was then given to Osaka.
This is not the first time we’ve seen ‘Imagine’ featured at an #OpeningCeremony of an Olympic Games.
Take a trip down memory lane… ?️#StrongerTogether #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/MjNKYLG6UM
— Olympics (@Olympics) July 23, 2021
