Picture Credit: X
The Tamil Nadu Athletics Association questioned Achanta Sharath Kamal’s nomination as India’s flag-bearer for the Paris Olympics 2024. The association has raised questions on the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) decision. The athletic body also called the table tennis star a ‘nondescript sportsman’ and said that javelin thrower and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra should be given the honour.
A report by PTI stated that as per an IOA source, making Chopra India’s flag-bearer in the upcoming tournament would have wasted Chopra’s last-minute preparation time. The athletic body called the IOA’s decision the ‘greatest injustice to sports’ in its official statement. The TNAA President WI Davaram and Secretary C Latha released a joint statement on March 30, Saturday.
The statement read, “The nomination of TT player Sharath Kamal as the flag-bearer of the Indian Olympic contingent has sent shockwaves across the nation. It is not only the sportspersons but everyone who follows sports are aggrieved with the injustice of leaving out Neeraj Chopra, the only Indian gold medallist in athletics during the 130-year-old history of the Olympics.”
It added, “Besides being the current Olympic and world champion, he has also been selected to defend his title in the forthcoming Olympics. I cannot imagine him (Chopra) being part of the national team led by a nondescript sportsman Sharath Kamal.” Questioning the IOA’s logic, the TNAA said, “What is the hurry in announcing the flag-bearer and what is the reason for leaving out the world and Olympic champion? The IOA should explain the needless hurry in announcing the flag-bearer's name.”
