Lakshya Sen

Lakshya Sen, Ankita Dhyani to lead Uttarakhand in Athletes’ Parade

Dehradun, January 28: Lakshya Sen, who made history by becoming the first Indian male player to make it to the Olympic Games badminton semifinals in Paris last year and Olympic Games distance runner Ankita Dhyani will be Uttarakhand’ flag bearers in the Athletes’ Parade in the Opening Ceremony of the 38th National Games Uttarakhand here today. 

Among those leading their respective contingents are 2019 World Champion and Olympian 10m Air Rifle shooter Elavenil Valarivan (Gujarat), women’s compound Archery 2023 World Champion Aditi Swami (Maharashtra) and 2018 World Shooting Championships 50m Pistol gold medal winner Omprakash Mithrawal (Rajasthan). 

His fellow flag bearer will be Nisha Kanwar, who lives with Cerebral Palsy and is a 2023 World Shooting Para Sport Championships mixed team Air Pistol podium finisher. Her presence reflects the Indian Olympic Association’s objective of inclusivity, with the National Games now following established norms of having a male and a female flag bearer leading each team. 

Some other notable flag bearers are the captain of the Indian men’s Kho kho team Pratik Walkar (Maharashtra), three-time Olympian archer Tarundeep Rai (Sikkim), Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games 10m Air Rifle team silver medal winner Ashi Chouksey (Madhya Pradesh), Wushu star Anjul Namdeo (Services) and Badminton player Ashmita Chaliha (Assam). 

Arjuna Award winner Harinderpal Singh Sandhu, who was one half of the Indian Mixed Doubles team which won the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games gold medal, will lead the Tamil Nadu contingent along with basketball international Dharshini Thirunavakkarasu who was adjudged the Most Valuable Player (Female) in the recent National Championships. 

From a tradition point of view, the Athletes’ Parade, the placing of the Games Torch in a hydraulic cauldron and the oath ceremonies will hold the sports fans’ attention. From a cultural perspective, the Ceremony will include an opening act inspired by Shiv Tandav and a thematic presentation on Dhairya, Shaurya and Nishchay (Patience, Valour and Determination). 

An hour-long music performances by Uttarakhand band, Pandavas, will enthrall the audience ahead of the formal ceremony while the Dehradun-born singer Jubin Nautiyal will keep the fans engaged after the conclusion of the traditional ceremony. 

Uttarakhand has pulled out all stops to conduct the National Games that will offer athletes in a range of events the opportunity to showcase their talent in a mutli-discipline celebration of sport. Around 450 gold medals are at stake in 35 disciplines in the competitions that will conclude on February 13, a day before the closing ceremony in Haldwani.

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