New Delhi:Ace shooter Gagan Narang has replaced well-known boxer Mary Kom as theChef-de-Mission for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will begin from July 26.
India will send a strong contingent for the Paris Games and is expected to perform better than the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where it won seven medals, including a gold.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in a statement posted on its X handle said, "Gagan Narang, four-time Olympian and 2012 Olympic Games men's 10m Air Rifle bronze medalist, has been chosen to replace MC Mary Kom as the Chef-de-Mission of the Indian contingent to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games beginning on July 26."
Indian Olympic Association President and former Olympian PT Usha said the 41-year-old Gagan Narang's elevation from Deputy Chef-de-Mission's position was an automatic choice in the wake of Mary Kom's resignation.
"I was looking for an Olympic medalist to lead our contingent and my young colleague is an apt replacement for Mary Kom," she said in the statement.
Usha also announced that well-known shuttler P V Sindhu, who has won two Olympic medals, will be the female Flag-bearer, along with ace paddler A Sharath Kamal in the opening ceremony.
"I am also delighted to announce that India's only woman to win two Olympic medals, PV Sindhu, as the female Flag-bearer alongside Table Tennis ace A. Sharath Kamal in the opening ceremony," added Usha.
"I am confident that our athletes are well prepared to deliver the best results for India in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games," the IOA chief said.
Sindhu, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, made the country proud by winning a silver medal at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics and a bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in women's singles.
