The Paris Olympics is just a few weeks away. All the nations gear up to send their athletes to the mega multinational event. The Indian Olympic Association has made a major change in the Indian Olympic squad for the Paris Olympics. Now Gagan Narang and PV Sindhu have been entrusted with the important responsibility.
The Indian Olympic Association appointed Gagan Narang as the ‘Chef-de-Mission’ of the Indian contingent. Gagan Narang was a bronze medalist in the shooting event at the London Olympics and has replaced Mary Kom as the ‘chef-de-mission’.
PV Sindhu and A Sharath Kamal to be the flag bearer
The flag bearer for the upcoming event. While star badminton player PV Sindhu will be the women’s flag bearer at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. Table tennis legend A Sharath Kamal has been entrusted as the men’s flag-bearer.
Mary Kom refuses to be ‘chef-de-mission’
Mary Kom was initially selected for the post of ‘chef-de-mission’. But, in April this year, Mary Kom refused to take this responsibility due to some reasons. IOA President PT Usha issued a statement saying, “I was looking for an Olympic medalist to lead the Indian team. According to me, Gagan Narang is the best place in Mary Kom. I am happy to announce that PV Sindhu and A Sharath Kamal will be the flag bearers of the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony.”
The Paris Olympics will start on July 26 and end on August 11. It is said that more than 10 thousand athletes from 196 countries will participate in these games. This time, there will be 28 sports in the event will be the same as those included in the 2016 and 2020 Games. But some new sports like skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing are set to make their Olympic debut. With Cricket making a comeback in the event.
There have been 125 athletes from India have qualified for the Paris Olympics so far. This will be India’s largest contingent in the history of the Olympic Games. This includes javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. So far, Indian athletes from 16 sports including shooting, athletics, wrestling, boxing, archery, sailing, table tennis, and badminton are set to participate in the Paris Olympics.
