Asian Games Opening Ceremony: Harmanpreet Singh, Lovlina Borgohain lead India's largest contingent at Asiad

India's largest-ever contingent at the Asiad graced the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium on Saturday, September 2023. India's men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and Olympic medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain led the national contingent as flag bearers.

Over 650 athletes are representing India in 39 sports in the 19th edition of the tournament which officially gets underway from Saturday. India's cricket teams are making their debut in the prestigious tournament and both are tipped to clinch sure medals. India's men's hockey team also remains a strong contender to claim the Gold medal in Hangzhou.

In individual events, Neeraj Chopra, who was the flag bearer during the previous edition of the tournament, is the leading contender for the gold and will enter the field on October 4 in the first men's Javelin throw event. Neeraj claimed the Gold in the previous



edition and followed it with historic success in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and then in the World Athletics Championships 2023. In boxing, India's medal hopes will be carried by Olympic winner Lovlina Borgohain and two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen who unfortunately face tough draws.

In team events, both football teams kicked off their group-stage games with defeats in their respective games. India's men's volleyball team reached the quarterfinal stages after a stunning 3-0 win over higher-ranked Chinese Taipei on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Indian contingent that was featured in the last edition was fairly successful too. India successfully broke into the top 10 with 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze medals in their kitty. The country is fielding its largest-ever contingent in the history of the event with 655 athletes competing across 39 sports in this edition and look favourites to display a comparatively better outing as compared to 2018.