India abuzz about mystery woman at Olympics

By The Associated Press
Published: July 30, 2012 Updated: July 30, 2012 - 12:00 AM

LONDON --

A mysterious woman in red has caused an international incident at the London Olympics.

Indian officials are mystified ? and miffed ? after an unknown young woman managed to march with the country's athletes and officials during the opening ceremony Friday night.

Games organizers on Sunday downplayed security concerns around the unscripted moment, saying the interloper was a ceremony cast member and had been screened before entering the Olympic Park.

Images from Friday's ceremony showed a young woman in turquoise jeans and a red jacket marching alongside Indian flag bearer Sushil Kumar at the head of the delegation of 40 athletes in bright yellow and navy blue.

"We are totally dazed," Indian press attach? Harpal Singh Bedi said. "How can a person without any accreditation walk past?"

Indian officials said they had no idea who the woman was. Indian media identified her as Madhura Nagendra, a graduate student from Bangalore who had been living in London.

Her father, K. Nagendra, was quoted by the Press Trust of India news agency as saying that his daughter had been chosen to dance in director Danny Boyle's ceremony, and he speculated that she might have been asked by organizers to escort India's team into the stadium.

Bedi said India's acting chef de mission, P.K.M. Raja, had sent games organizers an official letter of complaint.

London organizing chief Sebastian Coe insisted the woman had not posed a threat to the ceremony. He told reporters she was "a cast member who clearly got slightly overexcited."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tbo/nationworld/~3/Rf4mKa4yjYM/

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