Watch: Arif Khan, lone Indian athlete at Winter Olympics 2022, attends opening ceremony in Beijing

Lone Indian athlete, Arif Khan, carried the national flag as he represented the country at the Parade of Nations at the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, February 4. The dazzling opening ceremony was held at the iconic Bird’s Nest Stadium which also hosted the opening ceremony of the Summer Games in 2008.

Arif Khan, sporting a red jacket, was carrying the Indian flag at the opening ceremony, accompanied by a couple of support staff.

Beijing Olympics gold medalist Abhinav Bindra took to social media to laud Arif Khan for representing India at the Winter Games.

“From Kashmir to the Olympics! Really proud to see #ArifKhan, the only athlete representing India at #Beijing2022 carry the tricolor high!” he said.

India said it won’t send its top diplomat in Beijing to the Winter Olympics after the honour of carrying the Olympic torch went to a Chinese soldier who was wounded in a deadly border clash between the countries two years ago.

From Kashmir to the Olympics! Really proud to see #ArifKhan, the only athlete representing India at #Beijing2022 carry the tricolor high! pic.twitter.com/n3YGVsVsMd

— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) February 4, 2022

Arif Khan, an Alpine skier from Kashmir, will contest in Slalom and Giant Slalom events on February 13 and 16 in Beijing.

The opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games begins at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest on February 4. The 31-year-old Alpine skier Arif Khan, the only entry from India, will compete in the Slalom and Giant Slalom events of the Beijing Olympics pic.twitter.com/OqfoL0ZYrb

— Rabi Sankar Bosu (@BosuRabi) February 4, 2022

Arif Khan, 31, was introduced to skiing at the age of 4 by his father and turned professional 14 years ago when he was 18 years old. He has represented India in 127 international events, competing mainly in Europe on a shoestring budget. Khan’s career has been funded mainly by his family. His father has operated a tour company and ski equipment shop in Gulmarg, Kashmir since the 1980s.

Arif Khan at the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony (AFP Photo)

In the build-up to the 2018 Games, unrest in Kashmir led to tourism drying up, forcing Khan to turn to crowd funding in a desperate, but ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to keep competing.

“There was no tourism. We had no support from anywhere,” he had told Reuters.

“That was one of the reasons I needed to come up with crowdfunding, but … it didn’t turn out to be much. “Without funding, I couldn’t reach my training, I couldn’t catch up with the races.

“I managed four results (to qualify for the Games) and I needed five. The fifth one, I fell short. If there was time, money … it could have been done.”

This time around, Khan is supported by Indian conglomerate JSW Group’s sports arm, JSW Sports, which is covering 40% of his costs. The Jammu and Kashmir government is covering 10%, he said, and he is paying the rest himself.

Khan sealed his Olympic berth in slalom in Dubai in November and qualified for giant slalom with a 14th-placed finish in Montenegro in December. His target is to qualify in the top 30 of both events in Beijing.