Gagan Narang Appointed Chef-de-Mission for India at the Paris 2024 Olympics, replaces Mary Kom

Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang replaced boxing legend Mary Kom as India’s Chef-de-Mission for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced on Monday.

Narang, who won the bronze medal in men’s 10m air rifle at the London Olympics in 2012, replaced the boxing legend who had earlier stepped down from the role, citing personal reasons.

IOA president PT Usha expressed confidence in Narang’s ability to lead the contingent.

“I was looking for an Olympic medalist to lead our contingent, and my young colleague is an apt replacement for Mary Kom,” olympics.com reported, quoting Usha.

It may be mentioned here that Mary Kom was appointed as India’s Chef-de-Mission in March, while Narang was initially slated to lead the Indian shooting team.

The role of Chef-de-Mission is crucial as it involves overseeing the welfare of athletes and acting as the primary liaison with the organizing committees.

In another development, badminton star PV Sindhu and table tennis veteran Sharath Kamal have been selected as the flag-bearers for India at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.

PV Sindhu, India’s only female athlete to win two Olympic medals, will share the honour with Sharath Kamal, continuing India’s tradition of dual flag-bearers since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The Paris 2024 Olympics are scheduled to commence on July 26 and conclude on August 11.

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