Glasgow [Scotland], July 24 (ANI): Olympic silver medalist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu thanked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) for the opportunity to lead the country's contingent in the opening ceremony of the ongoing Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2026.

Olympic medallists Chanu and boxer Lovlina Borgohain led the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) naming the weightlifting star as the country's flag bearer and the boxer as baton bearer.

Posting on her X, Chanu wrote, 'What a proud moment it was to lead the Indian contingent with our tricolour flag at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow yesterday. I would like to thank our government, Indian Olympic Association and our Weightlifting Federation for giving me this opportunity.'

For the Glasgow edition, each of the 74 Commonwealth nations and territories has been presented with a specially designed baton reflecting its unique culture and identity. The batons were brought together during the opening ceremony before the Games were officially declared open.

The ceremony also marked a change from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where every participating nation had two flag bearers--one male and one female. At Birmingham, badminton ace PV Sindhu and men's hockey captain Manpreet Singh had led the Indian contingent.

India's Pinki Singh and Rupa Rani Tirkey began their Commonwealth Games 2026 campaign with a hard-fought victory in the women's pairs event, while Putul Sonowal stunned reigning world champion Ryan Bester of Canada in the men's singles competition in lawn bowls at the Scottish Event Campus on Thursday, according to Olympics.com.

CWG 2026 will be held from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, with India fielding a contingent of more than 120 athletes across eight able-bodied sports and five para sports as it looks to add to its rich legacy at the multi-sport event. (ANI)