Mystery woman leads India into Games

The Indian Olympic Games team were left stunned after a mystery woman stole the limelight during the Opening Ceremony yesterday by walking alongside the team flagbearer.

The woman, wearing a red jacket and blue pants, stood out compared to the rest of the Indian continent who were decked out in their blue and yellow uniform.

With the Indian team featuring for just 10 seconds during the television coverage of the athletes' march into the stadium, many fans were left wondering who the woman was.

After local media sought clarification from Indian team management it was discovered they didn't know her identity either.

Indian chef de mission Brig P K Muralidharan Raja said they were told by organisers that she would accompany the team to the track, but she keep walking with the team around the stadium.

"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 told Press Trust of India.

"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.

"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 said.

"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."

India sent their largest ever team to the London Olympics with 81 athletes taking part in the Games.

- HERALD ONLINE