India will showcase a contingent of 78 athletes and officials from 12 different disciplines in the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday at 11 pm (IST).
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha and Chef-de-Mission Gagan Narang have emphasized the importance of athlete participation in the parade. In line with this, all athletes who have made themselves available will be part of the parade. However, the IOA has shown respect for those who prioritize their preparation over the opening ceremony, given that many will be competing in various events starting Saturday.
Notably, star shuttler PV Sindhu and veteran table tennis player Sharath Kamal will serve as India's flagbearers for the event. Their roles as flagbearers mark a historic first for their respective sports at such a prestigious occasion.
Ahead of the opening ceremony, India has already achieved significant milestones at the Paris Olympics. The Indian men's and women's archery teams have secured direct qualification for the quarter-finals in their respective events.
The Indian contingent for the Paris Olympics comprises 117 athletes, with their first medal opportunity arising from the mixed team air rifle matches scheduled for July 27 at the National Shooting Centre in Chateauroux. Indian teams Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan and Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal will compete in this event. Additionally, Manu Bhaker will participate in two individual pistol events as well as the 10m air pistol mixed team competition.
Prominent athletes representing India across various disciplines include:
Archery: Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai
Badminton: PV Sindhu
Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain
Equestrian: Anush Agarwalla
Golf: Shubhankar Sharma
Hockey: Krishan Pathak, Nilakanta Sharma, and Jugraj Singh
Judo: Tulika Mann
Sailing: Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan
Shooting: Anjum Moudgil, Sift Kaur Samra, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, and Anish
Swimming: Srihari Nataraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu
Table Tennis: Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra
Tennis: Rohan Bopanna, Sumit Nagal, and Sriram Balaji
