Tajinderpal Singh Toor will not be able to lead the Indian contingent at the Asian Games opening ceremony after the celebrated shot-putter arrived without his ceremonial kit, forcing a late change in India’s flag-bearers.Seasoned kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat has been named as Toor’s replacement and will now join shooting star Manu Bhaker in carrying the Indian flag at Saturday’s opening ceremony.The 30-year-old Sehrawat was part of the Indian men’s kabaddi team that won gold at the previous Asian Games. India’s chef-de-mission Sahdev Yadav confirmed the change to PTI.Toor’s absence is the result of a logistical issue involving the ceremonial kit.
The athlete said he was informed that his kit would reach Nagoya airport only at 3pm, making it difficult for him to collect it and still reach the opening ceremony venue on time.”I am told that my ceremonial kit will reach at 3pm at the (Nagoya) airport. Reaching the opening ceremony venue after collecting my (ceremonial) kit from airport on time will be very difficult. So, I have told IOA (Indian Olympic Association) that I am not coming for opening ceremony,” Toor told PTI.The athletics contingent has been stationed at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo since September 13 for an acclimatisation camp. The team is scheduled to travel to Nagoya on September 21, two days before the athletics events begin.
The athletes were not originally expected to participate in either the opening or closing ceremonies, which is why they did not have the ceremonial kits with them.”They will be leaving Nagoya on September 30, one day after the end of athletics competition and four days before the closing ceremony (on October 4),” a team official said.Toor confirmed that the ceremonial kits were not with the athletics contingent.”Nobody in athletics team has ceremonial kits with them,” he revealed.The 75-member athletics contingent, however, has received its official competition kits. Multiple members of the group confirmed this to PTI.
Meanwhile, Manu Bhaker’s selection as the women’s flag-bearer was widely expected given her achievements on the international stage.Bhaker created history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by becoming the first athlete from Independent India to win two medals at a single edition of the Olympic Games. She claimed bronze in both the individual and mixed team 10m air pistol events.At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, athletics was India’s biggest medal contributor with 29 medals, including six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze. Shooting produced 22 medals, comprising seven gold, nine silver and six bronze.India finished that edition with a record 106 medals overall, including 28 gold.