Pramod Bhagat and Bhavina Patel to Lead India as Flag Bearers at Asian Para Games 2026

India will be led by two of its most accomplished para-sport athletes when the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games officially open in Japan on October 18. 

Paralympic champions Pramod Bhagat and Bhavina Patel have been named India’s flag bearers for the Opening Ceremony, bringing together two athletes whose careers have been defined by major international medals, resilience and sustained excellence.

The Asian Para Games will take place from October 18 to 24 across Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with athletes from across the continent competing for honours. For Bhagat and Patel, however, the opening ceremony will carry significance beyond the competition itself. The two athletes will carry the Indian tricolour at the head of the contingent, a role that reflects their standing within Indian para sport.

Bhagat and Patel have collectively won eight Asian Para Games medals, providing an impressive statistical snapshot of their contribution to Indian para sport. Bhagat has been one of India's leading para badminton players across multiple editions of the Asian Para Games. Between 2014 and 2023, he accumulated six medals two gold and four bronze. His record makes him one of India's most decorated para badminton athletes at the continental level. His success has also been built over a long international career in which he has consistently competed at the highest level.

Patel, meanwhile, has established herself as one of India's most prominent para table tennis players. She has won two Asian Para Games medals, one silver and one bronze, across the previous two editions. Their sporting disciplines are different, but their careers have followed a similar trajectory: both have become established names in Indian para sport while competing against the best athletes in Asia and on the global stage. Now, they will have a different responsibility.

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Instead of carrying their rackets and paddles into competition, Bhagat and Patel will carry the Indian flag into the opening ceremony.

For Patel, the honour represents something larger than personal recognition. Being chosen to lead the contingent places her alongside one of India's most decorated para athletes and gives her the opportunity to represent every athlete travelling to Aichi-Nagoya.

The significance of the moment lies in that collective responsibility. The flag bearers are not simply representatives of their respective sports; they symbolise the wider Indian contingent competing across the Asian Para Games. For athletes who have spent years representing India on international courts and tables, carrying the Tricolour at a major multi-sport event represents a different kind of achievement.

The selection also sends a clear message about the stature of para sport in India's sporting landscape. Both Bhagat and Patel have already delivered medals for the country. At Aichi-Nagoya, they will begin the campaign by leading their teammates.

Bhagat's selection is particularly fitting given his long association with major para-sport competitions. His six Asian Para Games medals, including two golds, underline his consistency across editions. The two-time Asian Para Games champion has been part of India's rise in para badminton, a discipline that has expanded considerably in visibility and competitive depth. His experience will also be valuable within an Indian contingent looking to produce strong performances across the week-long Games.

For Bhagat, the flag-bearing role adds another distinction to a career already filled with international achievements.

Patel's journey in para table tennis has similarly helped raise the profile of the sport in India. Her Asian Para Games medal tally currently stands at two, with a silver and a bronze. Her appointment as co-flag bearer ensures that table tennis is represented at the very front of India's contingent while also highlighting the diversity of India's para-sport success.

The symbolism of having athletes from para badminton and para table tennis jointly carry the flag is important. India's para-sport achievements are no longer concentrated in a handful of disciplines; athletes across different sports are increasingly making their presence felt at major international competitions.

Jhajharia backs the flag bearers

Paralympic Committee of India president Devendra Jhajharia praised Bhagat and Patel's leadership ahead of the Games, highlighting their ability to inspire the next generation of para athletes. That element of inspiration will be central to the occasion. The Opening Ceremony will provide a rare moment when the entire Indian contingent comes together before competition begins. With Bhagat and Patel at the front, the ceremony will also celebrate two athletes who have already experienced the pressure of major finals, podium finishes and international competition.

The sporting competition begins after that symbolic first step. For India, the message is straightforward: two champions who have spent years carrying the country's hopes onto the podium will now carry the Tricolour for the entire contingent. 

On October 18 in Nagoya, Bhagat and Patel will lead India into the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games not just as medal-winning athletes, but as representatives of an expanding and increasingly accomplished Indian para-sport movement.