India's Keshavan smiles off heaviest Games burden

India's Keshavan smiles off heaviest Games burden. Perhaps no one felt more responsibility during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday than India's smiling Shiva Keshavan.

The 20-year-old luge competitor from Delhi walked into Rice-Eccles Stadium as the sole representative of more than one billion people.

Keshavan, however, is used to the burden.

He was also India's only competitor in Nagano four years ago, when the Indian National Olympic Committee sent his father along as the sole team official to look after him. Keshavan duly finished 28th in his event.

A total of 2,531 athletes from 77 countries have entered the Salt Lake City Olympics.

Hosts United States have the biggest contingent with 211 competitors while 11 nations, also including Cameroon, Fiji, Tajikistan and Thailand, have just one entrant each.