Mary Kom, Manpreet & Bajrang Will be India's Flagbearers in Tokyo

Mary Kom had won bronze in the 2012 London Olympics.

(Photo: Twitter/@KirenRijiju)

Ahead of the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Indian Olympic Association have named their flagbearers for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Ace boxer MC Mary Kom and men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh will lead the contingent at the opening ceremony this year. Bronze medallist at the 2012 London Games, 6-time world champion Mary will be eyeing her first Olympic Gold medal in Tokyo.

For the closing ceremony, it will be wrestler Bajrang Punia with the Indian flag.

At its executive board meeting in 2020, the International Olympic Committee had made provisions for flag-bearers from both genders at the opening ceremony, reported PTI.

“...the IOC Executive Board also decided that there should be – for the first time ever – at least one female and one male athlete in every one of the 206 teams and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team participating at the Games of the Olympiad,” IOC chief Thomas Bach had said.

2008 Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra was India's flagbearer at the Rio Olympics in 2016. In London, two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar was the flagbearer.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from 23 July to 7 August.

At Tokyo, Mary Kom, 38, will be participating in her second Olympics -- women's boxing was introduced at the London Olympics in 2012 -- after failing to qualify for the Rio Games in 2016.

She is the most accomplished Indian sportsperson, having bagged the World Championship a record six times and has won a gold (2014) and silver (2020) medal at the Asian Games.

Manpreet, 28, will be participating in his third Olympics. He has been captain of the Indian men's team from 2016 onwards and has been part of the team that won gold at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and two silver medals in the Champions Trophy.

In its statement on Monday, the IOA also gave details of the Indian contingent, which will comprise 126 athletes and 75 officials.

"The contingent has bagged 78 quota places and will be competing for 85 medals," the statement said.