Sochi 2014: Indian flag flies at Winter Olympics closing ceremony as athletes walk under tricolour
Indian Winter Olympic athletes Shiva Keshavan, Himanshu Thakur and Nadeem Iqbal walked under the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony at Sochi while the country was serving an International Olympic Committee suspension period. The year-long ban was lifted on February 11 which brought India back into the Olympic fold.
Indian athletes walked under the national flag with their heads held high as the tricolor flew at the 2014 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Sochi on Sunday. The three athletes, luger Shiva Keshavan, alpine skier Himanshu Thakur and cross-country skier Nadeem Iqbal had to march behind an Olympic flag when the Games began because the election of a corruption-tainted official as secretary general led to a ban on India's Olympic Association by the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC lifted the ban on February 11 following fresh elections, allowing it to be represented at the Olympics and bringing the total number of nations competing at Russia's first Winter Games to 88. This meant Indian athletes, who had entered the Sochi Games as "independents" could wear their country's colours with pride. "It was a bad feeling I think at the opening ceremony because I was under the IOC flag," 20-year-old Thakur had said.
"It was a bad feeling because I was not representing my country. After February 11, the IOC gave us our country back because of the fresh elections. I'm proud to put the flag up (in the athletes village). My parents, teacher and friends are very proud. The closing ceremony, under my own flag will be nice," he added.
"Well it's like coming to the Olympics all over again so this is the real one," said India's Winter Games veteran Keshavan, who finished 37th out of 39 athletes in luge.
The world's second most populous nation became the first to win readmission to the Olympic family during an ongoing Games. "When the IOC lifted our ban in the midst of an Olympic event, it's the first time it's happened and I am truly grateful to the IOC president Thomas Bach... for having lifted the ban within two days," newly elected Indian Olympic Association N Ramachandran had said last week.