Boxing champion MC Mary Kom and Indian hockey team captain Manpreet Singh will be India’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. 

This has been communicated to the Organising Committee of the Tokyo Games by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). 

This will be for the first time that India will have two flag-bearers – one male and one female – a bid to ensure “gender parity”. 

“…the IOC (International Olympic Committee) Executive Board also decided that there should be – for the first time ever – at least one female and one male athlete in every one of the 206 teams and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team participating at the Games of the Olympiad,” IOC chief Thomas Bach had said. 

Also read: ‘The Story of Lumshnong’ by Aarti Srivastava highlights ‘mindless’ limestone mining by cement companies 

Meanwhile, wrestler Bajrang Punia will be India’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the summer games on August 8. 

The Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to kick-start on July 23. Over 100 Indian athletes would be participating in the event. 

The Tokyo Olympics was earlier postponed by a year because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.