Chosen as India’s Asian Games flagbearer, misses ceremony as kit was still in India

Imagine being told you will carry your country’s flag at the Asian Games opening ceremony, only to discover you cannot do it because your ceremonial kit has not arrived.

That is exactly what happened to Indian shot put star Tajinderpal Singh Toor on Saturday, September 19, ahead of the Asian Games opening ceremony in Nagoya, Japan

The two time Asian Games champion was originally chosen to lead the Indian contingent alongside double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker at Saturday’s opening ceremony in Nagoya.

But Toor informed the Indian Olympic Association that he would not be able to attend because his official ceremonial kit was still on its way.

And there was very little time to fix it.

Toor said he had been told the kit would reach Nagoya airport at around 3pm. Collecting it and then making it to the opening ceremony venue on time would have been extremely difficult.

There was another problem.

Toor said he was informed only the previous day that he had been selected as India’s flagbearer. Had he known earlier, his coach, who had already travelled to Japan, could have brought the kit with him.

Why was his kit still in India?

There is some important context.

India’s athletics contingent has been training at the University of Tsukuba since September 13 as part of an acclimatisation camp and is scheduled to reach Nagoya on September 21.

The athletics team was not originally expected to participate in the opening ceremony, which explains why the athletes did not have their ceremonial kits with them. They did, however, have their competition kits.

The IOA officially described Toor’s absence as being due to a “technical issue”.

That meant India needed another flagbearer at short notice.

Kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat stepped in and carried the Indian flag alongside Bhaker during the opening ceremony. Sehrawat was part of the Indian team that won kabaddi gold at the previous Asian Games.

For Toor, attention now turns to what happens inside the stadium.

He won shot put gold at both the 2018 and 2022 Asian Games and is now chasing a third consecutive title in Japan