Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain to lead India at Commonwealth Games opening ceremony
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain to lead India at Commonwealth Games opening ceremony")
Mirabai Chanu Photograph: (AFP)
Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain have been named India's flag bearer and baton bearer, respectively, for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Olympic medallists Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain have been chosen to lead the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) named Mirabai as India’s flag bearer, while Lovlina will carry the ceremonial King’s Baton. The two athletes will perform the ceremonial duties during the opening ceremony at the OVO Hydro on Jul 23, officially launching India’s campaign at the Games, according to Olympics.com.
Announcing the decision on Saturday, IOA president PT Usha said, "It is a matter of pride that Mirabai and Lovlina will be doing the honours at the OVO Hydro. I wish both the girls and the entire contingent good luck."
Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai will carry the Indian Tricolour during the athletes’ parade, while Tokyo bronze medallist Lovlina will carry the King’s Baton.
For the Glasgow Games, all 74 Commonwealth nations and territories have received specially designed batons representing their culture and identity. These batons will be brought together during the opening ceremony before the Games are officially declared open.
Unlike the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where every nation had two flag bearers, one male and one female, the Glasgow edition will feature a flag bearer and a baton bearer. In Birmingham, India’s contingent was led by badminton star PV Sindhu and men’s hockey captain Manpreet Singh.
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Interestingly, Mirabai and Lovlina were also among the athletes considered for the flag-bearing role at the 2022 Games before the honour eventually went to Sindhu and Manpreet.
Mirabai enters the Glasgow Games as one of India’s strongest medal contenders. The 31-year-old weightlifter has won Commonwealth Games gold twice, at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022 and will compete in the women’s 48kg event.
Lovlina, on the other hand, will aim to secure her first Commonwealth Games medal after falling short at both the 2018 and 2022 editions. The 28-year-old former world and Asian champion will compete in the women’s 75kg boxing category.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place in Glasgow from Jul 23 to Aug 2.
India will be represented by a contingent of more than 120 athletes competing across eight able-bodied sports and five para sports as the country looks to add to its impressive Commonwealth Games record.
With inputs from agencies
