The presence of an unidentified lady beside flagbearer Sushil Kumar in the Indian contingent during the opening ceremony of the Olympics has prompted the country's miffed officials to take up the issue with the Games organisers.
A young lady in red shirt and blue trouser was seen leading the Indian contingent in the march past alongside Beijing Games bronze-medal winner Sushil Kumar and her unwanted presence has not gone down well with the Indians who had no clue as to who she was.
Acting chef de mission of the Indian contingent Brig P K Muralidharan Raja is understandably agitated that a person who was not part of the delegation was allowed to accompany the team and hog the limelight in the process.
"She had no business to walk in with the Indian contingent and we are taking up the issue with the organisers.
We don't know who she is and why she was allowed to walk in.
It is a shame that she was with the athletes in the march past", Raja told PTI here.
"We were initially told that she would accompany the contingent till the track but she went on to take the entire lap. There was another man also but he stayed back and did not enter the stadium," Raja added.
"We have taken strong exception to this. The march past is for the athletes and officials attached to the contingent.
We are totally taken by surprise how a person could just intrude into the track," he wondered.
The lady's presence had created a flutter Friday night itself and the Indian media covering the Games, had sought clarification from the team management.
"The Indian contingent was shown for hardly ten seconds in the tv coverage and the entire focus sadly was on this lady, instead of the athletes," Raja rued.
The Indians have fielded 81 athletes, the largest ever in the history of the Games, but only 40 athletes and around 11 officials participated in the parade at the opening ceremony, which showcased Great Britain's rich heritage combined with dazzling fireworks and stunning visual effects.
The Indian men wore traditional blazers and Rajasthani yellow turbans while the female atheletes wore yellow sarees.
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