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 presence had created a lot of buzz as nobody had a clue as to who she was.
In the parade, the Indian men wore traditional blazers and Rajasthani yellow turbans while the female atheletes wore yellow sarees while this lady wore red shirt and blue trouser which get more attention as if she was the leader of the group. The lady`s presence had created a flutter and the Indian media covering the Games, had sought clarification from the team management.
Acting chef de mission of the Indian contingent Brig P K Muralidharan Raja was 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 earlier said.
"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.
It has also been reported that the woman had uploaded the photographs of her Olympic passes on Facebook and had deactivated her account after her presence stirred a controversy.
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.