BANGALORE/LONDON ● The mystery woman in red who gatecrashed into the Indian contingent’s march past in Friday’s Olympics opening ceremony has been identified as Madhura Nagendra of Bangalore, a dancer in one of the segments of Danny Boyle’s pageant.
Clad in a red track top, blue pants and sneakers, Madhura marched in the front of the contingent alongside flag-bearer Sushil Kumar, smiling and waving at the cameras, before disappearing midway.
“My daughter was selected for a performance at the inaugural by Danny Boyle,” said Madhura’s father, K L Nagendra, a leather export entrepreneur based in Bangalore.
Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London organizing committee, confirmed on Sunday that she did not pose a security threat. “I can now confirm she was a cast member. She was slightly over-excited,” Coe said.
“She made it into the opening ceremony. She obviously should not have been there,” Coe said.
Nagendra maintained that his daughter was not an intruder and there was no security breach as nobody could enter the stadium without security clearance.
“Being an Indian, the organizing committee might have selected Madhura to take the team inside the stadium,” said Nagendra, who was given passes to watch the show.
“This might have hurt our team’s feelings. I feel very sorry for that. I returned on Saturday from London and my daughter will reach Bangalore in next couple of days.”
Madhura is the second of three daughters of Nagendra and Janhavi, residents of Banashankari area in Bangalore. Madhura completed her masters in communication in 2009 from Christ University.