List of Indian athletes taking part in the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
Only 23 out of the 117 Indian athletes will walk in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony parade. This year’s ceremony will be unique, taking place along the picturesque Seine River, offering a stunning view of Paris’ iconic landmarks.
This Indian contingent will be led by flag-bearers PV Sindhu and Achanta Sharath Kamal. Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist in badminton, and Sharath Kamal, who is making a record fifth appearance at the Olympics will shoulder the pride of the entire nation as the Indian contingent looks to better their tally of seven medals from the Tokyo Olympics.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) confirmed that all athletes available and not competing the next day will participate in the parade. Archery star Deepika Kumari, boxer Lovlina Borgohain, table tennis player Manika Batra, and tennis veteran Rohan Bopanna alongside his partner Sriram Balaji will all be present at the Paris Olympics Opening ceremony.
Here is the complete list of Indian players taking part in the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony:
- Flag-bearers: PV Sindhu (badminton) and Achanta Sharath Kamal (table tennis)
- Archery: Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai
- Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain
- Table Tennis: Manika Batra
- Tennis: Rohan Bopanna, Sumit Nagal and Sriram Balaji.
- Shooting: Anjum Moudgil, Sift Kaur Samra, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Anish
- Equestrian: Anush Agarwalla
- Golf: Shubhankar Sharma
- Hockey: Krishan Pathak, Nilakanta Sharma and Jugraj Singh
- Judo: Tulika Mann
- Sailing: Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan
- Swimming: Srihari Nataraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu
Indian hockey team, Neeraj Chopra sit out of the Paris Olympics Opening ceremony parade
However, due to their games scheduled for the following day, some athletes will not join the parade. Rower Balraj Panwar has a race scheduled for Saturday morning, and the Indian men’s hockey team will face New Zealand on the same day.
"IOA President PT Usha and Chef-de-Mission Gagan Narang have given top priority to athletes in the composition of the contingent in the Athletes' Parade," IOA was quoted as saying by PTI.
"Many have competitions on Saturday and IOA has been respectful of their decision to prioritise preparation and to not take part in the Opening Ceremony," IOA added.
As a result, three reserve hockey players will represent the team during the Paris Olympics Opening ceremony. Additionally, the track and field, weightlifting, and wrestling teams have yet to arrive in Paris, including Olympic Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra.
The Paris Olympics Opening ceremony, set for July 26, will be a historic event. Athletes will parade in approximately 90 boats along a 6-kilometer route, starting from the Pont d’Austerlitz and concluding at the Trocadéro near the Eiffel Tower.
The ceremony will feature an artistic program, the parade of athletes, and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron, with French President Emmanuel Macron officially opening the Games.