India’s flag-bearer in the opening ceremony of the Paralympics 2020 will be javelin thrower, Tek Chand. This time none of the eight athletes will be walking alongside.
This time, the stricter COVID-19 restriction
and stringent protocols have forced the biggest 54 Indian athletes contingent either in quarantine, soft quarantine and the other few have chosen to skip the opening ceremony to prepare for their event.
The Indian contingent is here, led by Javelin maestro Tek Chand 🙌#TeamIndia #Paralympics #UnitedByEmotion #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/hurSAzBnOA
— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) August 24, 2021
Tokyo’s National Stadium saw flag-bearer Chand accompanied by the continent’s administrative staff members and one coach.
The Paralympic Committee of India secretary Ravi Chauhan said, “Our teams are leaving in batches. So far, only seven Indian athletes have reached Tokyo and completed the quarantine,”
The para-archery and para-shooting teams landed in Tokyo on Tuesday but as per rules, they will not be allowed to mix with athletes from other nations for the first three days of soft quarantine. This ruled them out of the ceremony.
He further added that Thangavelu Mariyappan was quarantined following close contact with a COVID-19 positive person on their flight to Tokyo.
Thankfully the situation is in control. Tokyo Paralympics organizers have tightened virus rules, including upping testing and further limiting movement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to cheer for the Indian Contingent participating at the Paralympics 2020!
