India’s flag to be raised at Olympic Village tomorrow

India’s national flag will be unfurled at the Olympic Games Athletes Village tomorrow in the presence of a small group of sportspersons and contingent officials after their request for deferring the flag-raising ceremony was turned down by the organisers.

India had sought a postponement of date for its flag-raising ceremony, which is also called the ‘Welcoming Ceremony’, so that a larger contingent could be present at the function. But the London Olympic Games organisers refused to sanction any change in the schedule and stuck to the original roster.

The Indian contingent’s Deputy Chef-de-Mission Brigadier P K Muralidharan Raja said the flag-raising ceremony would take place as originally scheduled and a good number of athletes would be present on the occasion.

“We’ll have a fair representation of athletes and contingent officials at the flag raising ceremony in the Olympic Village,” Brig. Raja said today as he checked the arrangements for the ceremony and also for the other Indian athletes who are arriving in batches from their training venues.

“We wanted a postponement of India’s flag raising ceremony, but the organisers are keen to stick to the original schedule drawn up by them,” said Brig. Raja.

London Olympic Games Organising Committee (LOCOG) officials told PTI that India were among a number of the nations with similar requests but that would have affected schedule and crowded the date closer to the Opening Ceremony, which is scheduled for July 27.

Raja said he was not aware of any change being permitted by the organisers of the Games.