Asian Games 2026 Live Updates: Quimcy Dsouza misses final, eyes bronze; Manu Bhaker-Pawan Sehrawat to lead In

Indian double Olympic medalist and Asian Games gold medalist shooter Manu Bhaker expressed happiness at being one of the flag-bearers for the Indian contingent for the Asian Games 2026 opening ceremony, saying that it feels "heartwarming". The star shooter also recalled some special memories attached with opening ceremonies at multi-sporting events.

Manu Bhaker and kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat will be India's flag-bearers for the Asian Games opening ceremony which will take place on Saturday.

Speaking in a video ahead of the ceremony, Bhaker said that realising that she was chosen as one of the flag-bearers left her with a "heartwarming" feeling, and all she could experience was flashbacks of her early days in the sport and reflecting on how far she has come.

"Honestly, when I found out yesterday, I had all these flashback memories of my earlier days. And, you know, when I started, I never thought that this was where I could reach one day in my sport. So, it is definitely a very heartwarming feeling. I feel really proud, really honoured, and really, really happy to be chosen as the flag bearer for my country. I just want to say thank you to God and thank you to everyone for all the love and support," she said.

Manu said that during her first Asian Games back in 2018, she was a teenager and missed the opening ceremony. She recalled attending the opening ceremony for the 2018 Commonwealth Games and being told by her coach and late shooting legend Jaspal Rana not to attend the opening ceremonies if she was not a flag-bearer, due to how the event could take a toll on her physical health ahead of her matches.

"I remember I was 16 years old during my first Asian Games, and this is my third. My first one was in Jakarta, though we were in Palembang, which was really far from the main village, so we couldn't attend. The first ceremony I ever attended was at the Commonwealth Games. After that, my coach, Jaspal Sir, told me, "If you are the flag bearer, then I will allow you to attend the ceremonies; otherwise, no," because our matches usually start on Day one or Day two, so it gets very hectic for us in shooting," she recalled.

"Usually, our competitions start right the day after the opening ceremony. So after that, it turned out that every time I attended an opening ceremony, I was either holding the flag or watching it on TV. It feels very nostalgic because I never imagined I would be here one day. Sports are just amazing! That is all I have to say right now," she added.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha attended the official welcome reception for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where she met Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and other members of the Asian sporting fraternity.

Sharing pictures from the gathering on X, Usha described the evening as an opportunity to connect with the OCA leadership and members of the wider sporting community.

“A wonderful evening connecting with the OCA President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and the esteemed members of the OCA Family at the official welcome reception. Together, we continue to pave the way for the growth and excellence of sports across Asia,” Usha wrote in an X post.

The reception was held ahead of the Asian Games opening ceremony, scheduled for Saturday at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium. The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will bring together athletes from across the continent, with India set to compete in multiple sporting disciplines.

Olympic Council of Asia President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani also led the 110th OCA Executive Board meeting in Nagoya, Japan, prior to the Asian Games.

Taiwan sport minister Lee Yang, a former Olympic badminton champion, was initially blocked from attending a flag-raising ceremony at the Games on Friday, triggering a standoff as the Taiwan delegation refused to participate in protest.

Lee was eventually permitted entry, with the ceremony taking place more than an hour after scheduled. Taiwan's cabinet complained Lee had been subject to "unreasonable obstruction" in a statement and that he had obtained the required access credentials.

Sheikh Joaan said at a press conference he was unaware of the incident but that politicians needed to stay out of sports at the quadrennial Games.

"I think that our focus here is on the athletes and on making sure that everyone, all the athletes, have the equal rights in competing and in having their freedom," the Qatari told reporters in Nagoya.

"So I don't think the politicians or politics should be involved in sports. That's my opinion."

Indian shot put athlete Tajinderpal Singh Toor will be replaced by kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat as the male flag-bearer for the Asian Games opening ceremony on Saturday.

As per the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), due to technical issues, two-time Asian Games champion Tajinder will no longer be the flagbearer and the Asian Games 2022 gold medalist, Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) star Pawan will be taking his place.

Manu Bhaker, the Asian Games gold medalist and double Olympic medalist, will stay as the women's flag-bearer for the Indian contingent.

Manu and Tajinderpal were initially announced as the flag-bearers for the women's contingent on Saturday.

Bhaker, who won two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, will compete in the women’s 10m air pistol, women’s 25m pistol, and 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team. She made history in Paris by becoming the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympic Games.

Pawan, now the male flag-bearer, will be aiming to lead India to another gold medal in men's kabaddi. Since the debut of the sport in men's team competition at the 1990 Asian Games, India has won gold at eight out of nine editions, except for a bronze medal finish in the 2018 edition in Australia. In the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games edition, India beat Iran 33-29 to capture the gold medal in men's competition.