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Paralympics 2021 is all set to flag off with the opening ceremony on August 24. A total of 11 members from the Indian contingent will be present at the opening ceremony. Mariyappan Thangavelu will lead the contingent as the flagbearer during the ceremony.
India will be sending its largest-ever contingent of 54 para-athletes to the event in Tokyo. After a successful campaign at the last event in Rio, India will be hoping for an even better performance as the number of participants has doubled since last time.
India set to start their Paralympic campaign
Only seven athletes have landed in Tokyo for the Games. According to reports, the remaining are set to take off today for Tokyo. Out of the available seven, paddlers Sonal Patel and Bhavina Patel have their opening round matches on Wednesday, which rule them out of the opening ceremony.
This means that Mariyappan will be accompanied by discus thrower Vinod Kumar, javelin thrower Tek Chand and powerlifters Sakina Khatun and Jaideep Deswal. There will also be six officials from the Indian contingent who will make their way to the opening ceremony.
Four of the people who have been confirmed so far are: Chef De Mission Gurcharan Singh, Deputy Chef De Mission Arhan Bagati, COVID-19 liaison officer VK Dabas and para-athletics Chairperson Satyanarayana.
Check out: Paralympics 2021: 6 Indians who have been ranked World No. 1 in their events
At what time does the opening ceremony of the Paralympics 2021 start?
The opening ceremony of Paralympics 2021 is scheduled for August 24 at 4:30 PM IST. Streaming for the same will also be available on Eurosport India, Doordarshan and NBCOlympics.com
Where to watch the Paralympics 2021 in India?
The Paralympic Committee of India gave Eurosport India the official broadcasting rights of the Paralympics in India. This will be the first time that the pan-European television sports network will cover a multi-sport event in India.
The telecast for the Paralympics will begin with the archery event on August 27. Eurosport’s localized coverage of the Paralympics in India will also include inspiring stories about para-athletes. Their journey from adversity to representing the nation at the quadrennial event will surely serve to motivate para-athletes in India.
The Paralympic action will also be telecast on DD Sports in India.
