Bhupender Singh Bajwa will head India's delegation at Hangzhou 2022 ©Getty Images

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has announced Bhupender Singh Bajwa as the country’s Chef de Mission for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.

Bajwa, head of the Wushu Association of India, has been selected by IOA President Narinder Batra to lead the nation’s delegation at the Games, scheduled to be held in the Chinese city from September 10 to 25.

Araj Kumar Singhania, secretary general of the Badminton Association of India, Swapan Banerjee, President of the Bengal Olympic Association, Gurudatta Bhakta, secretary general of the Goa Olympic Association, and Hariom Kaushik, Executive Board member of the Netball Federation of India, have also been confirmed as part of Bajwa’s Chef de Mission team for Hangzhou 2022.

Bajwa will be hoping to build on India’s proud record at the Asian Games, having finished in the medals table top 10 in 16 of its 17 appearances.

Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra will be among India's gold-medal hopes at this year's Asian Games ©Getty Images
Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra will be among India's gold-medal hopes at this year's Asian Games ©Getty Images

India achieved its biggest-ever medal haul at Jakarta-Palembang 2018 with 70 - 16 golds, 23 silvers and 31 bronzes - to rank eighth in the standings.

There was disappointment in kabaddi, though, where India missed out on gold in both the men’s and women’s competitions for the first time.

A total of 67 training centres were recently closed in India because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but national camps for athletes preparing for the Asian Games and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games are expected to remain open.