A comedy of errors unfolded at the Games Village on Friday during the media interaction to name India’s flag-bearer and baton bearers.
Chef-de-mission, Bhubaneswar Kalita, announced Olympic gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra as the flag bearer. Then, he named Saina Nehwal, Sushil Kumar, Vijender, Akhil Kumar, Samaresh Jung and MC Mary Kom as the baton bearers. But when he was asked by reporters to repeat the names, he missed out Akhil. A senior Organising Committee (OC) official later clarified that brand ambassadors Vijender, Saina, Samaresh, Mary Kom and Sushil would be the baton bearers
Kalita looked confused as he explained why he left out Akhil’s name. “His name was there is the list that was messaged to me before I came here. But in the list here on paper, Bindra is named and Akhil is missing,” he said. “The choice of the baton bearers was done by the OC. As the Chef-de-mission, I am here to announce their names. The OC will furnish a proper statement later on."