The Iranian flag has been hoisted at the Athletes Village of the 2018 Asian Games in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta.

Senior Iranian sports officials Nasrollah Sajjadi and Asghar Rahimi together with dozens of Iranian sportsmen and sportswomen attended the ceremony.

The Iran men’s national under-23 football and handball teams are already in Indonesia since their competitions have started before the opening ceremony later this week.

On August 7, the National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran (NOCIRI) named female sports shooter Elaheh Ahmadi as Iran’s flag-bearer during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games – officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta Palembang 2018.

The NOCIRI had initially picked Iranian taekwondo practitioner Kimia Alizadeh Zenoozi as the athlete to carry the flag.

She, however, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during a training session earlier this month and missed the Games.

The NOCIRI will reportedly dispatch a 378-strong sports delegation to the 2018 Asian Games.

Iranian sportsmen and sportswomen will vie for top honors in 42 sports.

The 2018 Asian Games will start on August 18 and will wrap up on September 2.

The Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games.