At the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, Indian athletes Manu Bhaker and Tejinder Pal Singh Tour will hold the Indian flag. Manu Bhaker, a biathlete who won two Olympic medals, and Tour, a shot put champion, were selected as flag bearers for the ceremony, which will take place in Nagoya on Saturday. However, alongside the news of these Indian sports stars being chosen as flag bearers, questions have arisen regarding the organization of events in Nagoya.
The head of the Indian mission, Sahedhyavad, confirmed on Friday that Manu would be the flag bearer. Subsequently, the Athletics Federation of India confirmed that Tour would be the second flag bearer. This role is particularly important for Manu Bhaker, as she won a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol shooting and mixed team event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She became the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at one Olympic Games. Tour, meanwhile, has twice won the gold medal in shot put at the last two Asian Games. Now they will represent India in Nagoya by holding the flag.
On Friday, a day before the official opening, a traditional flag-raising ceremony was scheduled to take place in Nagoya, involving five countries, including India. However, the ceremony was delayed until the start time and was then suddenly interrupted. Delegations from Yemen, North Korea, Palestine, India, and Timor-Leste were present at Garden Pier. Four deputies of the head of mission from India were also present: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Lijjo David Totton, Alkanda Ashok, and Anjali Bhagwat.
Local organizers attributed the delay to 'some issues' related to one of the teams and stated that they would try to normalize the situation in about 15 minutes. After a delay of about 20 minutes, the ceremony began, but it had to be suspended again shortly after. Sharath Kamal and Anjali Bhagwat had already headed to the stage but had to return to the waiting area after the event was stopped. Organizers did not specify what the issue related to a particular team was.
This interruption during the flag-raising ceremony occurred when the organization of the Asian Games in Nagoya was already a topic of discussion. Earlier, complaints had been received from athletes and officials regarding accommodation and transportation. This time, instead of a traditional Athletes' Village, accommodation was arranged in container housing, hotels, and various locations, including the cruise ship Costa Serena. Problems were also arising with delays in room allocation and difficulties accessing training grounds.
Indian MMA fighter Varun Sanyal expressed concerns about the living conditions. The head of the Indian mission, Sahedhyavad, acknowledged some disorganization in the work. Badminton star Satwiksairaj Rankireddy reported that some members of the Indian delegation had to wait for the bus for hours. The interruption of the ceremony on Friday further intensified discussions about the organization, although organizers did not provide detailed information on the reasons.
The official opening of the Asian Games is scheduled for Saturday, September 19. Although competitions in many sports have already begun, the opening ceremony will mark the official start of the games. When Manu Bhaker and Tejinder Pal Singh Tour represent the Indian team by holding the flag, attention will be focused not only on the Indian athletes. Following the organizational problems identified before the opening, it will also be interesting to see how smoothly subsequent events in Nagoya proceed.