'Independent' Indians march under Olympic flag

February 08, 2014 03:01

India faced the ignominy of witnessing three of its athletes march without the national flag during the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics on Friday night.

With the Indian Olympic Association suspended by the International Olympic Committee due to ethical and administrative reasons, luger Shiva Keshavan, Alpine skier Himanshu Thakur and cross-country skier Nadeem Iqbal walked behind the IOC flag.

The Indian athletes will compete under the "independent athletes" category and will be represented under the Olympic flag.

It was an embarrasing situation for India as billions of people all over the world tune in to witness the opening ceremony to be held at the Fisht Olympic Stadium.

The IOA was suspended by the IOC in December 2012 due to its failure to comply with the Olympic charter. It has resulted in Indian athletes, including boxers, participating in events under the flag of world body.

'We are proud to be marching under the Olympic flag. It represents the highest levels of ethics, fair play and sportsmanship. I would like to thank the IOC for this opportunity, Shiva was quoted as saying in a release issued on his behalf.

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