While all the male members of the Indian team were dressed in off-white sherwanis at the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, the tennis duo of Sania Mirza and Sunitha Rao were attired in black trousers and practice jackets. Not only did the two not follow the dress code, the contrast was even more jarring to the eyes when they walked with Delhi paddler Neha Aggarwal who chose a greenish saree for the occasion. Most of the Indian atheletes also did not march smartly, Rathore, tennis ace Leander Paes and shooter Gagan Narang being the exceptions.
According to the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Suresh Kalmadi, “Everybody had been given their dress. The two had returned from their practice and there was no time. The Chef de Mission (K. Murugan) was caught in a dilemma and could not leave out Sania as questions would have been raised about her absence,” said Kalmadi, who added that sarees of different colours had been given to the athletes to make the group look, er, colourful.
(Image via AP Photo)
