Manu Bhaker and Tajinderpal Toor have been unveiled as India's flagbearers for the Asian Games 2026 opening ceremony in Aichi-Nagoya on Saturday. Shot putter Toor is a two-time defending champions at the Asian Games, while Bhaker is a double Olympic medal winning pistol shooter. Overall, 503 athletes are set to compete in 37 sports at the 20th edition of the Asian Games.

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Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor have been named India’s flag-bearers for the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Nagoya. The ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium on Saturday from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm IST. More than 500 Indian athletes will compete across 37 sports at the continental showpiece, which concludes on October 4.

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Bhaker Returns as a Flag-Bearer

Bhaker made history at the Paris Olympics by becoming the first Indian athlete in the post-independence era to win two medals at a single edition of the Games. She won bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol and the 10m air pistol mixed team event. Bhaker was also part of India’s gold-medal-winning women’s 25m pistol team at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Toor enters the competition as the two-time defending Asian Games champion in men’s shot put. He will be aiming to retain the title for a third successive edition. His experience and previous success make him one of the prominent names in India’s athletics contingent.

India will be looking to build on its record-breaking performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games, where the country secured 107 medals, including 28 gold. India are the defending champions in men’s and women’s cricket and kabaddi, while the men’s hockey team also enters the Games as reigning champions. The upcoming edition will feature athletes from 45 countries and regions competing in 43 sports.

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PV Sindhu will lead India’s badminton campaign, while Mirabai Chanu will spearhead the weightlifting contingent. Manu Bhaker, Aman Sehrawat and Lovlina Borgohain will be among the key Indian names in shooting, wrestling and boxing respectively. In athletics, more than 75 Indian athletes are expected to compete, including Gulveer Singh, Tejaswin Shankar, Murali Sreeshankar, Jyothi Yarraji and Parul Chaudhary.

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