KUALA LUMPUR: National karate exponent R. Sharmendran has been given the honour of carrying the Jalur Gemilang at the 2023 SEA Games opening ceremony at the Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 5.
Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said one of the reasons they chose Sharmendran to be the flag bearer is because he is a gold medal prospect this time.
“After assessing the shortlist of seven candidates, the OCM chose Sharmendran to be given the honour based on two criteria - medal prospect and experience,” he posted on the OCM Facebook page today.
Sharmendran, 30, is gunning for a fourth straight gold medal in the men’s kumite 75-kilogramme (kg) category, having emerged as champion in the same event since the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur.
He will be the second karate exponent to carry the Jalur Gemilang in the opening ceremony of the biennial Games after R. Puvaneswaran, who was the flag bearer at the 2003 SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The 32nd edition of the SEA Games will be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from May 5-17. -Bernama