Nabaaha, Mubal wave Maldivian flag at Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony

Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq and Mubal Azzam Ibrahim carried the Maldivian flag into the stadium for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 on Friday.

The opening ceremony was held at the Tokyo Olympics Stadium on Friday after the Games were delayed by 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Japanese professional tennis player, Naomi Osaka lit the cauldron to officially kick off the Games.

20-year-old Mubal is a Maldives National Team swimmer while Nabaaha, 22, is one of the most accomplished badminton players in the country.

While Mubal had received an Olympic scholarship from the International Olympic Committee to accomplish higher education in his field -he is currently living in Australia- Nabaaha was invited to compete in the event by the tripartite commission; making her the first local woman to be qualified in a badminton event at the Olympic Games.

She won a gold medal in the mix doubles event category at the 2019 YONEX SUNRISE Pakistan International Series. Furthermore, she had also achieved a silver medal along with her sister in the 2019 Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) held in Mauritius.

Mubal is scheduled to complete in the 100-meter freestyle event of the Tokyo Olympic Games, on July 27. He has taken part in several international competitions including the 2019 South Asian Games.

Nabaaha's first match in the Women's Singles Group Stage is set for July 25 against China's Bing Jiao while her second match is against Iran's Soraya on July 26.

In addition to the flag bearers, the two other Maldivian athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 are Hassan Saaid (athletics) and Aishath Saajina (swimming).

The Olympics will take place without spectators in host city Tokyo, as a resurgent coronavirus forced Japan to declare a state of emergency in the capital that will run throughout the Games.