Mystery woman gatecrashed India parade – officials

Monday, 30 July 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: A mystery woman gatecrashed India’s athletes’ parade at the Olympic opening ceremony, Indian officials said on Sunday as they demanded answers from organisers about the apparent lack of security.

A woman in red and blue walked close to flag-bearing wrestler Sushil Kumar on Friday, in complete contrast to female members of the contingent who were wearing yellow saris and blue blazers.

How did they allow her in? It was a security lapse. Nobody knows who she was. She looks like an Indian,” Indian Olympic Association vice president Tarlochan Singh told Reuters.

“She walked along in the front line. Her dress was totally different. She was not wearing an identity card. This should have been noticed at an earlier stage but nobody bothered.”

The extravagant opening ceremony, hailed around the world as a huge success, was watched by a packed 60,000 crowd in the Olympic stadium.

London Games organisers said they were looking into the possible security breach. India websites said the mystery woman was a postgraduate student from Bangalore.

Security concerns dogged the run up to the Games with the British government having to draft in thousands of troops to help guard Olympic venues after private contractor G4S said it could not supply the staff required.

“This was bizarre. We will ask for an apology,” Acting Indian chef de mission PKM Raja was quoted as saying by the Times of India newspaper.

“The Indian contingent was shown for just 10 seconds and to think this lady hogged all the limelight.”