Controversy in IOA as athletics legend Anju Bobby George questions move to ignore Neeraj Chopra as flagbearer for Paris Olympics

Anju Bobby George on Thursday questioned Indian Olympic Association (IOA) decision for not considering Neeraj Chopra as India’s flag bearer for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

“Surprisingly, the Indian Olympic Association did not consider our golden boy Neeraj Chopra as a flag bearer for the 2024 Olympic Games .. ??????ultimately its Neeraj’s choice based on his own assessment of the situation.. still…. Why . ???..,” she wrote in her Instagram.

Last week, the IOA had named veteran table tennis star Sharath Kamal as India’s flagbearer for the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anju Bobby George (@anjubgeorge)

Meanwhile, Olympic bronze medallist MC Mary Kom was named as India’s chef de mission for Paris 2024 while Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan has been appointed as the Deputy Chef de Mission for Paris 2024.

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“We are delighted to have such a distinguished and capable team of officials leading our contingent for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Their expertise, dedication, and passion for sports will undoubtedly inspire our athletes to achieve their best and make the nation proud,” IOA President Dr PT Usha said in a statement released on Thursday.

The IOA had also announced other appointments for India’s contingent for the Paris Olympics. Rifle shooter Gagan Narang, who won the bronze medal in the 10m air rifle event at the 2012 London Olympics, has been placed in charge of overseeing the shooting village operations for the Paris Olympics. Shooting, which brought India its first individual Olympic medal at Beijing 2008, has not seen an Indian medalling at the Olympics since London 2012.

Meanwhile, Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, who has operated upon many Indian Olympic stars including Neeraj and Vinesh Phogat, had been appointed as the Chief Medical Officer responsible for the health and well-being of Indian athletes throughout the Games.

At the Paris Olympics, India are hoping to overhaul their record tally of seven medals which they achieved at the deferred Tokyo Olympics last time around.

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