India faced the ignominy of witnessing three of its athletes march without the national flag during the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics here on Friday night. With the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to ethical and administrative reasons, luger Shiva Keshavan, Alpine skier Himanshu Thakur and cross-country skier Nadeem Iqbal had to walk behind the IOC flag.
The Indian athletes are competing under the "independent athletes" category and were represented under the Olympic flag. It will be an embarrassing 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.
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