Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain set to be India flagbearers for Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. (AP/File)Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and boxer Lovlina Borgohain, both Olympic medallists, will be India’s flagbearers at the opening ceremony of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the Indian Olympic Association announced on saturday. The opening ceremony of the scaled-down multi-sport event will be held on July 23.“It is a matter of pride Mirabai and Lovlina will be doing the honours at the OVO Hydro. I wish both the girls and the entire contingent good luck. It is a matter of pride two women have been chosen to do the honours for Team India at the opening ceremony, which will set the tone and tenor for the Games,” IOA said in a media release.“Both Mirabai and Lovlina have time and again proved themselves in the international arena for India. They are at present training in right earnest for the Games in the United Kingdom,” it added.Mirabai, who turns 32 on August 8, has been India’s leading weightlifter for close to a decade. She won the silver medal in the women’s 49kg category at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and followed it up with gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.Also Read | Boxing World Championships: Should Lovlina Borgohain move down to the 70kg category after shock loss?Although she was unable to replicate that success at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she remains one of India’s strongest medal hopes in Glasgow. She is also a multiple medallist at the World Championships.Lovlina, meanwhile, claimed the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics before winning gold at the 2023 World Championships. She also secured a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and is expected to be among India’s leading medal contenders in Glasgow.On July 10, the Sports Ministry had approved a 191-strong Indian contingent, including 126 athletes and 51 team officials, for the Commonwealth Games, making it clear that it would not bear expenses of those officials who are elected members of the Indian Olympic Association’s Executive Committee.Story continues below this adThe notification also stated that a detailed report on the contingent’s performance, including action photographs, would also need to be submitted to the Ministry within 30 days of its return to India. India’s 126-strong athlete contingent includes 78 male and 48 female athletes.“IOA will ensure that any person, if he/she is holding elected position in EC of IOA, any NSF or any sports body, whose name has been included in the list of team officials, will be treated at no cost to the Government,” the Ministry made it clear.The ministry has specified that the definition of Team Officials would include coaches, support staff, medical staff, and contingent officials.Chef de Mission Rohit Rajpal is the lone member of the contingent staff who is a member of the IOA EC and if the ministry directive applies then the cost of his stay in Glasgow will not be covered by the government.