Pawan Sehrawat will replace Tajinderpal Singh Toor as one of India’s flag-bearers at the Asian Games opening ceremony, after the celebrated shot-putter decided not to attend the event because he did not have his ceremonial kit with him.

Sehrawat, a key member of India’s gold-winning men’s kabaddi team at the previous Asian Games, will now join Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, who will lead the Indian contingent alongside him at the opening ceremony.

The change was confirmed by India’s chef-de-mission Sahdev Yadav to PTI.

Why Tajinderpal Singh Toor will miss the opening ceremony

Toor had been scheduled to share the flag-bearing responsibility with Bhaker. However, the athlete is currently part of India’s athletics contingent at an acclimatisation camp near Tokyo and does not have the ceremonial uniform with him.

Toor said his ceremonial kit was expected to arrive at the Nagoya airport at 3 pm, leaving him with little time to collect it and reach the opening ceremony venue.

The shot-putter therefore informed the Indian Olympic Association that he would not attend the ceremony.

The athletics contingent has been training at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo since September 13. The team is scheduled to reach Nagoya on September 21, two days before the athletics competition begins.

Since the athletics team was not expected to participate in either the opening or closing ceremony, its members did not carry the ceremonial kits with them.

A team official said the athletics contingent is scheduled to leave Nagoya on September 30, a day after the athletics events conclude and four days before the closing ceremony on October 4.

Toor also confirmed that none of the athletics team members had their ceremonial kits.

Pawan Sehrawat steps in for Toor

With Toor unavailable, Sehrawat has been named as the replacement flag-bearer for the opening ceremony.

The 30-year-old kabaddi player was part of the Indian men's team that won gold at the previous Asian Games, giving him an established connection with India's recent Asian Games success.

The last-minute change means Sehrawat will now have a prominent role as India enters the Asian Games opening ceremony alongside Bhaker.

Earlier, deputy chef-de-mission Anjali Bhagwat had said that 158 members of the Indian contingent would participate in the opening ceremony.

Manu Bhaker to lead India alongside Sehrawat

Bhaker's selection as the women's flag-bearer comes after a historic campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

She became the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at a single edition of the Olympic Games, taking bronze in both the individual and mixed team 10m air pistol events.

Her presence as India's flag-bearer adds an Olympic dimension to the country's representation at the Asian Games opening ceremony.

India’s medal record at the previous Asian Games

India returned from the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou with a record 106 medals, including 28 gold medals.

Athletics was India's biggest medal contributor among the disciplines mentioned in the official figures, producing 29 medals — six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze.

Shooting also delivered a major haul, winning 22 medals, including seven gold, nine silver and six bronze.

With PTI inputs