The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) named table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal as India’s flagbearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics, set to be held from 26th July to 11th August 2024 in Paris, France.
Key Points:
i.Sharath Kamal will be the 19th flag bearer for India at the Olympics.
ii.Athlete Purma Banerjee was the first Indian Olympian to become the flag bearer for the Indian contingent at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium.
iii.Mary Kom and former hockey captain Manpreet Singh were India’s flag bearers at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Note:
At the Olympic Games, the flag-bearer serves as a symbolic leader, leading a country’s delegation out during the Opening Ceremony parade.
Chef de mission:
i.The IOA also appointed boxer Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom as the chef de mission of the Indian Olympic contingent.
- A chef de mission is the head of a sports delegation at an international event.
ii.Luge player Shiva Keshavan was appointed as the deputy chef de mission.
Sharath Kamal:
i.Sharath Kamal was India’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Birmingham (United Kingdom) Commonwealth Games, where he won three gold medals (Men’s Team, Mixed Doubles & Men’s Singles).
ii.He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019 in the field of sports.
iii.He also received the Arjuna Award (2004) and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2022).
Mary Kom:
i.Mary Kom won the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics held in London, United Kingdom.
ii.She was the first Indian female boxer to participate in the Olympics and to win a bronze medal.
iii.She was the recipient of three Padma awards, including Padma Shri in 2006, Padma Bhushan in 2013, and Padma Vibhushan in 2020 in the field of sports.
Shiva Keshavan:
i.Shiva Keshavan represented India in the five Winter Olympic Games, including Nagano 1998 (Japan), Salt Lake City 2002 (the United States of America), Turin 2006(Italy), Vancouver 2010 (Canada), and PyeongChang 2018 (South Korea).
ii.He also participated in the 2014 Sochi Olympics (Russia) under the IOA flag.
iii.Shiva became the first winter sport athlete to be honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2020.
About Luge Sport:
i.Luge is the fastest sport in the Winter Olympics, where athletes ride a flat sled (a vehicle without wheels that is used for travelling on snow) in artificial tracks built with steep banks and inclines.
ii.Participating athletes position themselves in a “supine” position while riding the sleds (lying down on their backs facing upwards with their feet at the bottom).
Additional Info:
i.Gagan Narang has been tasked with overseeing India’s operations at the shooting range at the Paris Olympics.
ii.He also won a bronze medal in air rifle at the 2012 Olympics held in London, United Kingdom.
About Indian Olympic Association (IOA):
IOA is the governing body for the Olympic Movement and the Commonwealth Games in India.
President– P.T. Usha
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Established in– 1927
