Hockey captain Manpreet Singh announced announced as India's flag bearer along with PV Sindhu at 2022 Commonwealth Games
The IOA announced India men's hockey captain Manpreet Singh as a flag bearer along with double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Men's hockey captain Manpreet Singh will be India's flag bearer along with double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu at the 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, the Indian Olympic Association has said. The decision to name Manpreet, who led the Indian men’s hockey team to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year, as the second flagbearer was arrived at after the IOA was intimated by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee that two flagbearers – one male and one female – must be named by each nation for the Opening Ceremony.
A total of 164 athletes will take part in the opening ceremony which will be held on Thursday. A total of 215 athletes from India will be competing at the Commonwealth Games.
The IOA had earlier announced star badminton player PV Sindhu, who had won silver in women's singles and gold with the Indian mixed team at the 2018 CWG, as India's flagbearer. “The selection process followed for zeroing in on the male flagbearer was the same as naming the female flagbearer,” said the IOA. The four-member committee had initially shortlisted Manpreet alongside boxer Amit Panghal and paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal.
“Mr Manpreet Singh ended Indian hockey's 41-year Olympic medal drought with a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics last year. He is one of the finest athletes to have ever represented India on the international stage. We are delighted to name him and Ms Sindhu as the two Flagbearers who will lead the Indian contingent out at the Parade of Nations tomorrow during the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games,” said IOA Acting President Anil Khanna.
“As with the three female shortlisted athletes, their three male counterparts were all deserving candidates, but we decided that Mr Singh be named a Flagbearer with Ms Sindhu because of the leadership he showed at Tokyo 2020, which played a part in our men’s hockey team clinching a sensational bronze medal,” said IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta.
