Abhinav Bindra ashamed as Indian trio marches without tri-colour

Olympic champion shooter Abhinav Bindra was upset after watching the Indian contingent walking without the tri-color at the Winter Games opening ceremony

India’s only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra made no secret of his anguish yesterday moments after the three-man Indian contingent walked sans the tri-colour at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi last night.

The three-man Indian contingent at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Sochi yesterday. Pic/AFP.

Given the suspension of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) 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 walked behind the IOC flag at the Games’ opening ceremony yesterday. Bindra immediately tweeted: “Watching the Sochi opening ceremony at The Hague. Ashamed and saddened that India is not represented because of incompetence.”

Abhinav Bindra

The IOA was suspended by the IOC in December 2012 due to its failure to comply with the Olympic Charter. Owing to this, a number of Indian athletes including boxers have had to participate in international events sans the national flag.

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