Alpine skier Mohammad Arif Khan held the Indian flag as he made his way in the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on Friday here at the National Stadium also known as Bird’s Nest in Beijing.
Mohammad Arif Khan is India’s sole representative in Beijing 2022. India was the 23rd country in the Parade of Nations at Beijing. This year, for the first time in Winter Olympics history, each nation had two flag bearers – one man and one woman.
Indian alpine skier Arif Khan, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, is the first-ever Indian athlete to directly qualify for two different events at a single edition of the Winter Games. He will be competing in the giant slalom event on February 13 and slalom on February 16.
Celebrated Chinese film-maker and three-time Academy Award nominee Zhang Yimou, who also led the Beijing 2008 Summer Games opening and closing ceremonies, directed the opening ceremony for Beijing 2022.
