All You Need To Know About India's Flag-Bearers Ahead Of 2024 Summer Olympics

Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and veteran table tennis player Sharath Kamal will have the honour of carrying the Indian flag during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics. To be chosen as the flag-bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics is a matter of immense pride for a sports personality. India has also had numerous legendary athletes who carried the Indian tricolour during the Olympic opening ceremony. As many as 17 days are left for the start of the much-awaited 2024 Paris Olympics. The 33rd edition of the Summer Olympic Games is set to be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11 this year. In this blog, we look at the athletes who have carried India's flag in the last six Summer Olympic Games.

Everything you need to know about India's flag-bearers ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics

1. Paris Olympics 2024 - PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal

PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal will have the honour of carrying the Indian flag during the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. PV Sindhu will lead a seven-member Indian badminton team at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Sindhu will be the only shuttler in the women's singles category, finishing 12th in the Race to Paris Rankings. Meanwhile, Achanta Sharath Kamal, who is set for his fifth Olympic appearance in Paris, feels he is scaling new heights with each passing year and believes his "best is yet to come." The 41-year-old turned the clock back to win three gold medals, including one in men's singles, at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. 

2. Tokyo Olympics 2020 - Manpreet Singh and Mary Kom

For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, every participating nation had the option of selecting two individuals (one male and one female) to be the country's flag-bearers at the Opening Ceremony. This change was made to ensure that women were equally represented at the Olympics. However, the Indian Olympic Association selected Manpreet Singh, the captain of the men's hockey team, and Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom to carry the Indian flag at the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Games.

3. Rio Olympics 2016 - Abhinav Bindra

Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra will forever hold a place in Gun shooting games history as India's first-ever Olympic gold medalist. The legendary Indian shooter won gold in men's 10m air rifle at Beijing 2008, in addition to a World Championship gold and multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. In recognition of his efforts in 2009, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour. Rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra had the honour of carrying the Indian flag during the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics. Prior to the Olympics, Bindra had already announced that the 2016 Summer Games would be the last of his career.

4. London Olympics 2012  - Sushil Kumar

Wrestler Sushil Kumar was selected to carry the Indian flag at the 2012 London Olympics. In the previous Olympics (2008 Beijing), Sushil became the first Indian wrestler since KD Jadhav to win an Olympic wrestling medal. Jadhav won a medal in wrestling at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games. Therefore, Sushil's medal in Beijing ended India's 56-year wait for an Olympic Wrestling medal. Heading into the London Olympics, Sushil also won a World Championship and Commonwealth Games gold medal. At the London Olympics, Sushil won a silver medal in the men's 66kg freestyle wrestling event, making him the first Indian individual athlete to win multiple Olympic medals.

5. 2008 Beijing Olympics - Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

India secured only one medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics: a silver medal earned through the efforts of army man Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. Rathore finished second in the men's double trap event, securing India's only medal at the Athens Summer Games. As a result, Rathore was chosen to be India's flag-bearer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

6. 2004 Athens Olympics - Anju Bobby George

During the 2003 World Athletic Championships in Paris, track and field athlete Anju Bobby George made history by winning a bronze medal in the women's long jump. It was India's first-ever medal at the World Athletic Championships. A year ago, in 2002, she won a gold medal in the long jump at the Busan Asian Games. George was chosen as the Indian flag-bearer for the 2004 Athens Olympics for being one of India's leading female athletes of that era.

7. 2000 Sydney Olympics - Leander Paes

Tennis icon Leander Paes secured the bronze medal in the men's singles event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics by defeating USA's Andre Agassi in the bronze medal match. Leander Paes was all over the Olympics news as it marked India's inaugural Olympic medal in the sport. As a result, Paes proudly carried the Indian Tri-Color in the subsequent Sydney Olympics in 2000. Paes' bronze medal remains India's sole Olympic tennis medal to date.