India have made a last-minute change to their Asian Games 2026 opening ceremony plans, with kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat replacing shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor as the men’s flag-bearer.
Toor was originally selected to join shooter Manu Bhaker in leading the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony in Nagoya.
However, the celebrated athlete will miss the gala event after failing to receive his ceremonial kit on time. India’s Chef de Mission Sahdev Yadav confirmed that Sehrawat will now take Toor’s place.
Why is Tajinderpal Singh Toor missing opening ceremony?
Toor revealed that his ceremonial kit was still in India and was only expected to reach Nagoya airport at around 3pm on Saturday.
He said collecting the kit from the airport and then reaching the opening ceremony venue on time would be extremely difficult.
‘I am told that my ceremonial kit will reach at 3pm at the (Nagoya) airport. Reaching the opening ceremony venue after collecting my (ceremonial) kit from airport on time will be very difficult. So, I have told IOA (Indian Olympic Association) that I am not coming for opening ceremony,’ Toor told PTI.
The shot-putter also revealed that the athletics contingent had not received its ceremonial kits. ‘My ceremonial kit is lying in India. Nobody in athletics team has ceremonial kits with them,’ he said.
Why did the Athletics team not have ceremonial kits?
The athletics contingent has been training at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo since September 13 as part of its acclimatisation camp. The team is scheduled to arrive in Nagoya on September 21, two days before the athletics events begin.
Since the athletics team was not originally expected to attend the opening ceremony, the athletes did not carry their ceremonial kits with them. However, members of the 75-strong athletics contingent have received their official competition kits, with multiple athletes confirming the development to PTI.
Pawan Sehrawat steps in for Toor
With Toor unable to attend, India have turned to Pawan Sehrawat for the opening ceremony. The 30-year-old kabaddi player was part of India’s gold-medal-winning men’s kabaddi team at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023.
Sehrawat will now join Manu Bhaker as India’s flag-bearer for the grand opening ceremony. Earlier, deputy Chef de Mission Anjali Bhagwat had said that 158 members of the Indian contingent were expected to participate in the ceremony.
Manu Bhaker set to lead Indian contingent
Manu Bhaker’s selection as the women’s flag-bearer was widely expected following her historic performance at the Paris Olympics 2024. She became the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at a single edition of the Olympic Games.
Bhaker won bronze medals in the women’s 10m air pistol individual event and the 10m air pistol mixed team event. She will now have the honour of carrying the Indian flag at the Asian Games opening ceremony alongside Sehrawat.
India’s medal hopes at Asian Games 2026
India enjoyed a record-breaking campaign at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023, winning 106 medals, including 28 gold medals. Athletics was one of India’s major contributors, producing 29 medals – 6 gold, 14 silver and 9 bronze.
Shooting also delivered 22 medals, including seven gold, nine silver and six bronze. With several leading athletes competing in Aichi-Nagoya, India will once again look to build on that performance at the Asian Games 2026.