Shiva Keshavan, Nadeem Iqbal and Himanshu Thakur qualified for the Sochi Winter Olympics but have been listed as Independent Olympic athletes, under the banner of the IOC. Instead of the Indian flag, they marched at the Games opening ceremony wearing the Olympic flag.
Sepp Blatter believes that any boycott of the Sochi Winter Olympics would change nothing and those who refused to go in protest against alleged discrimination in Russia would be "surrendering".
The Sochi Winter Olympics are meant to be Vladimir Putin's crowning achievement as Russian leader but are in danger of becoming a symbol of his country's problems.
President Barack Obama said in an interview broadcast on Friday that he believes the Russian city of Sochi is safe and that Americans who want to go to the Olympics should go.
Australia's Winter Olympic athletes will also be subjected to an alcohol ban in the Sochi athletes' village along with the Summer Games counterparts.
About 41,000 rooms are being provided for the Games and any failure to have them ready in time would be a potential blow to President Vladimir Putin's hopes that the Winter Olympics will show how far Russia has come since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The much-anticipated World Championship rematch between Indian veteran Viswanathan Anand and title-holder Magnus Carlsen will be staged from November 7 to 28 in Sochi, Russia.
Triggering angry criticism from the West and even calls to boycott the Sochi games, Russia adopted in June a ban on homosexual "propaganda" among minors, a law denounced by critics as discriminatory and aimed at stifling dissent.
Sochi Winter Olympics organisers are asking volunteers to fill some of the empty seats at venues during competition, they said on Monday.
The U.S. State Department warned Americans on Friday of the potential for terrorism at the Sochi Olympics but said it was not aware of any specific threat to U.S. citizens.
Austria's Olympic Committee received a letter threatening to kidnap two Austrian athletes at the Games that start this week in Sochi, Russia, the Austria Press Agency reported on Tuesday, citing national committee head Peter Mennel.
India's sole luge athlete, Shiva Keshavan has qualified for the Winter Olympics to be held in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi from February 7 to 23.
The creative director of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony played down the significance of a technical hitch during the lavish show on Friday, where one of the five rings that make up the Games' symbol failed to open.
Former American tennis star Billie Jean King will be unable to join the official U.S. delegation attending the Sochi Winter Olympics opening ceremonies due to a serious illness in her family, the White House said on Wednesday.
Now that the 2014 Winter Olympics have come to a close, rediff.com brings you the moments that will be etched in memory. During the two weeks in Russia fans have seen a number of inspiring stories. Some will go into future Games, while some represent the end of an era.
A relaxed Russian President Vladimir Putin dropped in on the US Olympic team in Sochi on Friday, sipping red wine and basking in the praise of what organisers said had been a "truly great" Winter Games so far.
The honour of lighting the Sochi Olympic flame was given to two triple Olympics champions on Friday as Vladislav Tretyak and Irina Rodnina jointly lit the cauldron at Russia's first Winter Games on Friday.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will deliver a keynote speech at the International Olympic Committee session this week before the start of the Sochi winter Games, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Monday.
Indian para swimmer Suyash Jadhav on Wednesday secured the 2024 Paris Paralympics quota in the Men's 50m Butterfly S7 category with his brilliant performance at the previous Asian Para Games.
Intelligence agencies believe attacks by militants during the Sochi Winter Olympics are highly likely, but will probably be aimed at "softer" targets elsewhere in Russia, such as public transportation or other civilian venues, US and European officials said.
Two men said by Islamist militants to have carried out suicide attacks in south Russia appeared in a video donning explosive belts and warning Vladimir Putin to expect a "present" at the Sochi Winter Olympics from fighters following after them.
The Sports Ministry cleared the three Indian athletes qualified for next month's Winter Olympics at government cost despite the trio taking part in the Sochi Games as independent athletes.
A Moscow anti-doping laboratory which was to be used during next year's Sochi Winter Olympics will have its accreditation suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) unless it improves the way it operates by December 1.
Rediff.com has rounded up some of the top moments from the Sochi Winter Olympics. Take a look...
South Koreans blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin and biased judging at the Sochi Games after their top skater Kim Yuna was denied back-to-back Olympic golds by Russia's Adelina Sotnikova.
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Athletes at the Winter Olympics in Sochi may be punished for making statements on the podium against Russia's anti-gay laws or human rights record but can do so at news conferences without fear of sanction, the IOC said.
India completed its return to the Olympic family on Sunday when its flag was hoisted at the Sochi Games, five days after the International Olympic Committee lifted its suspension on the Southeast Asian nation.
Russian meteorologists have no concerns about a shortage of snow for the Winter Olympics in February but believe avalanches and poor visibility could disrupt the Sochi Games.
India's campaign in the Sochi Winter Olympic Games came to a disappointing end with Himanshu Thakur finishing 72nd in the men's giant slalom event.
Rivalry is fierce in international sport and it gets fiercer when the stage for competition is the Olympics. With medals for the taking and pride at stake, the athletes leave no stone unturned. It matters not if they are competing against arch rivals, compatriots or their own siblings! Yes, siblings. The Winter Games at Sochi is host to many such examples of sibling bonding or sibling rivalry -- moments and experiences that will go in the family album for posterity. Rediff.com gives you a quick glance of the many siblings who are participating with or against each other at the ongoing Winter Games in Sochi.
The home fans roared Russia to its first gold of the Winter Olympics on Sunday when figure skating favourite Yevgeny Plushenko sealed the Olympic team title, while Austria's Matthias Mayer conquered the perilous Rosa Khutor run to claim the men's downhill.
Russia's Winter Olympics sprang into action on Saturday with the first five gold medals decided, and the world began to forget the security fears and political wrangling that had marred the buildup to the most expensive Games ever staged.
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics will open on Friday. Rediff.com reveals some fascinating facts and figures about the Sochi Games.
The Winter Olympics will end on Sunday with Russia on top of the medals table in a surprise sporting success for the host nation, but news that a fifth Sochi athlete tested positive for a banned substance dimmed the golden glow.
There will be no discrimination against gay people during the Winter Olympics in Sochi next month, a Russian lawmaker said on Monday.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may attend the opening ceremony for the Sochi Winter Olympics, but China has ruled out any formal meeting with President Xi Jinping whose attendance at the Games has already been confirmed.
Russian gymnasts must be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games and not tarred with the same brush as the country's banned track and field athletes, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said on Monday.
The Sochi Winter Games set records in competitor numbers, medals awarded and quality of venues, keeping athletes happy and proving critics wrong, said International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Sunday.
The climax to the Olympic ice dance competition will be a showdown between the United States and Canada in what should be the most captivating of seven medal events in Sochi on Monday.
Italian bobsleigh athlete William Frullani has tested positive for a banned substance at the Sochi Winter Olympics and will not compete with the team on Sunday, Italian officials said on Friday.
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