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 Mohamad Norza Zakaria said one of the reasons it had chosen Sharmendran to be the flag bearer is because he has the prospects of winning a gold medal.

“After assessing a shortlist of seven candidates, the OCM chose Sharmendran to be given the honour based on two criteria – medal prospect and experience,” he said on the OCM Facebook page today.

Sharmendran, 30, is gunning for a fourth straight gold medal in the men’s kumite 75kg 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 to 17. – Bernama, April 27, 2023.