Asian Games 2026: Pawan replaces Toor as India's flagbearer

Seasoned kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat replaced Tajinderpal Singh Toor as India's flag-bearer for the Asian Games opening ceremony in Nagoya on Saturday as the celebrated shot-putter does not have the ceremonial kit in his luggage, which will prevent him from attending the gala event.Toor was to join shooting ace Manu Bhaker in leading the national contingent during the ceremony.The 30-year-old Sehrawat, who was a part of the gold-winning Indian men's kabaddi team in the previous Asiad, will now take Toor's place, chef-de-mission Sahdev Yadav said."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.The athletics team has been training at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo since September 13 as part of an acclimatisation camp and is scheduled to reach Nagoya on September 21, two days before the start of athletics events.They were not expected to be a part of either the opening or the closing ceremony which explains the absence of ceremonial kits in their luggage."They will be leaving Nagoya on September 30, one day after the end of athletics competition and four days before the closing ceremony (on October 4)," a team official said. Toor also said that no member of the athletics contingent has carried the ceremonial kit."Nobody in athletics team has ceremonial kits with them," he revealed.However, the 75-strong contingent has received its official competition kits and this was confirmed .Deputy chef-de-mission Anjali Bhagwat had earlier said that 158 members of the Indian contingent will take part in the opening ceremony.Bhaker's name as the female flag-bearer was on expected lines She made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics 10m air pistol events.In the last Asian Games in Hangzhou, in 2023, athletics contributed 29 medals (6 gold, 14 silver, 9 bronze) while shooting's was 22 (7 gold, 9 silver, 6 bronze). India had won a record 106 medals overall, including 28 gold, at that time.