London: London Olympic Games organisers on Sunday said that they were "looking into" the issue of an unidentified woman's presence in the Indian contingent during the march past at the Opening Ceremony, a development which has not only left the Indians angry but has generated a big controversy back home.
The Indian contingent has submitted a letter to the organisers expressing their resentment over the incident even as media reports claimed to have identified the "mystery" woman who hogged the limelight at the ceremony.
LOGOC Chairman Sir Sebastian Coe said he is aware of the incident and the organisers will look into the case.
"I was told about it. She sort of made it into the Opening Ceremony. There is a very important point to take into consideration here. I don't minimize the fact that she got in Opening Ceremony. We will have our own discussion about that," Coe said at a press conference here.
"She could not have got into the Olympic Park without having gone through our security protocols. They seem to have run away with the idea that she just walked off the street and onto the Opening Ceremony. We are looking into it. She should not have been there," Coe said.
The Indians have submitted a letter on this embarassing issue to the organisers last night and Acting Chef de Mission Brig P K Muralidharan Raja said that no response has come yet.
"We have submitted the letter expressing our strong resentment on the matter to the organisers last night. We are still waiting for their response," Raja told PTI.
A day after photos of the "mystery woman" appeared in newspapers and went cyber on social networking sites, a newspaper claimed to have identified the young lady as Madhura Honey, a post-graduate from Bangalore.
Deccan Chronicle, quoting sources, said that her friend from the college was also baffled seeing her with the Indian contingent. She has been living in London and before she went with the Indian team, she had displayed her Olympic passes on her Facebook account. But once this became an issue, she had deactivated her Facebook account.
The Indian contingent, however, was willing to wait for an official confirmation about the identity of the person.
"I am also aware of these reports. But I can't comment on newspaper reports. We want something from the organisers," he said.
The young lady in red shirt and blue trouser was seen leading the Indian contingent in the march past alongside Beijing bronze-medal winner sushil Kumar and her unwanted presence has not gone down well with the Indians who had no clue as to who she was.
The Indians are understandably agitated that a person who was not part of the delegation was allowed to accompany the team and hog the limelight in the process.
"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," Raja had said.
The lady's presence had created a flutter on the day of the openign ceremony itself and the Indian mediamen covering the Games had sought clarification from the team management.
The Indians have fielded 81 athletes, the largest ever in the history of the Games, but only 40 athletes and around 11 officials participated in the parade at the opening ceremony which showcased Great Britain's rich heritage combined with dazzling fireworks and stunning visual effects.
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