Alpine skier Mohammad Arif Khan, who will be competing in the slalom and giant slalom events, led a small four-strong Indian contingent and carried the Indian flag at the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremony of Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.
The opening ceremony was held at the iconic Bird's Nest Stadium, which also hosted the opening ceremony of the Summer Games in 2008.
India was the 23rd country in the Parade of Nations and the 31-year-old skier, sporting a red jacket, was carrying the Indian flag, accompanied by a couple of support staff. This year, for the first time in Winter Olympics history, each nation had two flag bearers -- one man and one woman.
Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra lauded the skier from Jammu and Kashmir, saying the only athlete representing India at Beijing 2022.
"From Kashmir to the Olympics! Really proud to see #ArifKhan, the only athlete representing India at #Beijing2022 carry the tricolor high!" he said.
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 the slalom on February 16. Arif Khan qualified for Beijing Winter games in slalom in Dubai in November and for giant slalom with a 14th-placed finish in Montenegro in December.
India announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games after China fielded Qi Fabao, the regimental commander of the People's Liberation Army, who was injured during the 2020 military face-off with Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, as a torchbearer for the event's Torch Relay.
India said China's move was "regrettable" and it has chosen to "politicise" the Olympics.
Born in Kashmir's Baramulla district, Arif took up skiing quite early in life, winning his first national slalom championship at the age of just 12.
He later went on to win two gold medals in the Slalom and Giant Slalom events of the South Asian Winter Games in 2011.
He has also participated in both the editions of the Khelo India Winter Games held in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir.
Arif's inspiration was his father Yasin Khan, who owns a ski equipment shop in Gulmarg, a popular tourist destination in Jammu and Kashmir.
Previously, India's Winter Olympics campaigns have been identified with one man -- veteran luge athlete Shiva Keshavan, who represented the country in six editions of the mega-event.