Kashmiri athlete carries India’s flag at Beijing Olympics; It is snub to right-wingers

As the winter Olympic Games got off to a spectacular start in Beijing, India’s Arif Mohammed Khan from Kashmir proudly carried the Indian flag into the huge Birds Nest stadium. It was highly ironic that an athlete belonging to the Kashmiri Muslim community which has long been reviled by right-wing political groups as terrorists got the honour of carrying the tricolour on Chinese soil.

It was a strong rebuff for those who expound the theory that all Kashmiris are disloyal to India and have no feelings of allegiance to the Indian flag and India’s cause. Those who witnessed the ceremony were world leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Imran Khan, leaders and ambassadors from 22 nations including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Xi Jinxing of China.

The political angle and the symbolism and significance of the occasion at the opening ceremony in Beijing, could not be missed by anyone who witnessed the show. Arif Khan may not eventually win any medals because he will be up against vastly more experienced and better funded competitors from Europe and the USA. But the fact that he has ensured India’s presence on the world’s biggest stage itself is a deed worthy of commendation.
Holding aloft the Indian tricolour, Arif led a small contingent consisting of other officials and support staff from India who will be a part of the show. The 31-year-old Arif will take part in the Slalom and Giant Slalom events at the Winter Olympics.

The foremost among those who voiced their support for Arif was India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra who had won the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics last year. In a video posted by Olympic Khel on Twitter, he said: “I am appealing to the Indian sports fans to support Arif, our competitor at the winter Olympics in Beijing, just as much as you had supported us last year in the Tokyo Olympics. I wish best of luck to Arif Khan,” stated Neeraj, who is a JCO in the Indian army.

Arif Khan’s father Mohammed Yaseen Khan runs a sports goods store and a tour and travel organisation for adventure seekers. So Arif was used to seeing and handling sports equipment from a very early age. He began skiing from the age of five. He practised on the slopes of the hills in Gulmarg which is one of the world’s highest skiing resorts.

Even before he entered his teens, he was a skilful skier. At the age of 12 he won a gold medal in the junior national championship. But since winter sports is not a well publicised sport in India, the lack of sponsors, knowledge and finance was a big handicap for him while he was in the developing stages of his sports career.

Whenever he had to travel to Europe for training or participation, the finances came from his family members and friends who wanted him to succeed and keep India’s flag flying in the international arenas. Now their dreams have come alive in a big way as Arif will be the sole representative of a country of 1.4 billion people.

Arif is hoping that he will be able to promote the sport in India. The publicity about his participation at the Winter Olympics will make more youngsters enthusiastic to learn skiing and also bring sponsorship and funding to develop winter sports in Kashmir.  “If you do well in a country that has 1.4 billion people then definitely there will be people who will love you. I am hoping to introduce this sport to my countrymen and raise their awareness,” he told the media.

But various political issues have already cropped up in the background of the Games. Although Arif has been allowed to represent India, the government has announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games because China selected Colonel Qi Fabao, an army officer who took part in clashes with Indian troops in Galwan in 2020, to take part in the torch relay.

So political one-upmanship has already begun to affect the conduct of the games. Given the uncertain situation that exists on the Indo-China borders even now, the chances of more political manoeuvres by both sides cannot be ruled out before the Games end on Feb 20th.

The USA which is also diplomatically boycotting the Games for its own reasons (ostensibly to support the people of Uighur) was quick to support India’s decision this time because it tallied with its own stand. Meanwhile, exiled Tibetans in Dharamsala have carried out a protest rally to highlight the human rights abuses in China a day before the Games got underway.

Amidst all this political wrangling, the participants must be hoping that the games will be conducted without glitches. The rampant COVID situation is a big hurdle that the organisers will have to cope with. However, the summer Olympics in Tokyo last year was completed without any major hassle and it is hoped that the Chinese organisers will be as efficient as the Japan